Laojun Mountain in the Snow

During the Spring and Autumn Period, Laozi, recognized as the founder of Taoism, is said to have retreated to Laojun Mountain for secluded cultivation, establishing it as the "Taoist Source" (origin of Taoism) and "Ancestral Court" (court of the ancestral master). A temple dedicated to Laozi was first built on the mountain during the Northern Wei Dynasty. In the 11th year of the Zhenguan reign of the Tang Dynasty (637 AD), Emperor Taizong dispatched Yuchi Jingde to renovate the Laozi Temple on the iron summit of Jingshi Mountain and bestowed upon it the name "Laojun Mountain." In the 31st year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty (1603 AD), Emperor Shenzong decreed Laojun Mountain as the "Famous Mountain Under Heaven" and allocated funds for the construction of a grand hall, making it the only mountain range in Chinese history to receive the imperial title of "Famous Mountain Under Heaven." Laojun Mountain boasts six scenic areas with 179 attractions, including 16 temples such as Taiqing Palace, Shifang Courtyard, Lingguan Hall, Lincu Hall, Mu Yang Quan (Shepherd's Fold), Jiuku Hall, Chuanjing Tower, Guanyin Hall, Sanqing Hall, and Laojun Temple. South of Mazong Ridge, over 3,000 acres of stone forest landscapes are open to visitors, a spectacle hailed by geologists as the "Stone Forest of the North."