In the east of Zhejiang province lies a great mountain chain called Tiantai, which stretches over hundreds of miles, winding all the way to the coast of East China Sea. It is an ancient land of magic, where scenic spots are scattered like pearls and embedded into the picturesque landscape. For tourists, strolling in this National Scenic Area is a good way to ease their body and mind.

Tiantai is also the name of a mountain in the mountain chain, which is made a national 5A-level tourist attraction. It covers an area of 187 square kilometers, and is home to hundreds of tourist sites. Tiantai Mountain is mysterious geographically, for being a part of the most mystic scenery corridor at 30 degrees parallel north; and it is mysterious culturally, for its close relationship with Buddhism and Taoism.

Guoqing Temple, for instance, a 1,400-year-old Buddhism temple built in Sui dynasty (581-618), is known as the birthplace of Tiantai Sect. Recognized as the first Buddhism Sect in China, it was founded by Master Zhiyi. Later, its doctrines were spread abroad mainly to Korea and Japan, and significantly influenced the development of Buddhism in these two countries.

Tongbai Monastery is the cradle for Southern Taoism, where Ge Xuan (164-244), the “Old Immortal Ge of the Utmost Extreme”, practiced his alchemy in late Han (202 BC-220 AD), and the remarkable Zhang Boduan (987-1082) wrote his magnum opus Wuzhen Pian (Awakening to Reality).

The natural beauty in Tiantai Mountain is just as impressive. Grand Waterfall, a signature scenic spot of Tiantai Mountain since olden times, is the highest waterfall in China. This 325-meter-tall, 100-meter-wide waterfall spurts from Tongbai Peak, running down in nine steps. Visitors are able to get different views from walking along the footpaths to go upwards, go through the bottom, or cross the top of the waterfall.

Shiliang Waterfall, or Fall of the Stone Beam, is a marvelous destination for adventure. In the scenic area, tourists could walk across a stone bridge before heading towards a sunken pool while hearing echoes from secluded valleys. Beneath the waterfall is Fangguang Temple, which is dedicated to the 500 Arhats, and the magnificent Tang Poetry Road in East Zhejiang, a perfect combination of nature and Buddhist culture. Chicheng Mountain, another signature scenic spot, resembles a fiery red castle when looked at a distance；and Qiongtai Fairy Valley is such a dreamland with countless attractions where people tend to linger.

Huading Peak, the main peak of the Tiantai Mountain with a height of over 1,000 meters, fascinates tourists by its seasonal beauty: the cheerful azaleas in spring, the refreshing cool weather in summer, the beautiful sunrises in autumn, and the captivating snow in winter. It is also well known for a local green tea called Yunwu, namely “clouds and mists”.

Yet Tiantai Mountain is not only about landscape. It is also about the realm of life, the spiritual world.

The establishment of Tiantai county, where Tiantai Mountain is located, could be traced back to the State of Wu (229-280) in the Three Kingdoms period (220-280). With a history of over 1,800 years, the county is the cradle of the Tiantai Sect of Buddhism and the Southern Taoism, the birthplace of Ji Gong (1130-1209) the “Living Buddha”, and an epiphanic place for the 500 Arhats. Different as they are, Buddhism and Taoism have co-existed in a peaceful and complementary way, in that the former is purely spiritual and the latter advocates a simple, balanced thus modern way of living. This has cultivated the “Hehe” (Harmony and Cooperation) culture for Tiantai, which attracts travelers worldwide.

The glamor of Tiantai Mountain appeals to domestic literati as well. In East Jin dynasty (317-420), Wang Xizhi (303-361), “Sage of Calligraphy”, went to Huading Peak to learn “the Eight Principles of Yong”; Xie Lingyun (385-433), the pioneer of China’s landscape poetry, led a team of a hundred there and developed his own traveling route for descendants to follow.

Then in the Tang dynasty (618-907), over 400 poets, including Du Fu (712-770), Meng Haoran (689-740) and Wang Wei (701-761), “opened” a Tang Poetry Road with their poems, and Tiantai Mountain stood as its destination. In the late spring of 1613, the great travel writer and geographer Xu Xiake (1587-1641) visited there for the first time, then came back twice later and penned the “Diaries of Traveling Tiantai Mountain”. Xu even put it in the first chapter of his famous book—Travel Notes of Xu Xiake, which, incidentally, also becomes the inspiration for China’s National Tourism Day, which falls on May 19.

Facing today’s boom of leisure tourism, the Hehe culture of Tiantai resonates with and invigorates the historic county towards modernization. Rich in tourism resources, it is a popular destination for good reasons. With a forest coverage higher than 70%, this National Ecological County is able to give its visitors a unique relaxing experience: strolling among different kinds of flowers and trees, and being surrounded by streams and waterfalls is certainly refreshing both for the body and the soul, so are walking or riding a bike on ancient paths through villages, and going water rafting in beautiful valleys; collecting Chinese medicinal herbs and tasting local delicacies are also exciting activities not to be missed.

For those seeking a peace of mind, Tiantai is the place to be. It is a bridge connecting the present and the past, transcending time and space. A visit there magically brings us back to the times of the wise sages, who seem to be joining us in admiring the stunning sceneries, and reading the legendary stories of Tiantai that will never end.