Songshan, located 85km southwest of Zhengzhou and 70km northwest of Luoyang, is one of the five sacred mountains (Shan) in China with Taishan to its east, Huashan to its west, Hengshan to its south and another Hengshan (a homonym with a different first character) to its north. The mountain is therefore known as the middle sacred mountain. Stretching for over 60km from the east to the west, it also serves as the watershed between the Yellow River and Huai River.

This mountain range has many peaks, but is most famed for the Shaoshi Peak and the Taishi Peak. These two are said to be the two wives of a legendary emperor Dayu, known as the man who successfully stopped a nation-wide flood. The peaks here are all heavily vegetated, and frequently are shrouded in dense, swirling mists. The highest peak, the Junji Peak, is only 1494 meters above sea-level, which makes climbing here easy, and the mountain is fairly unique in China for not having a set path to follow.

Located in the very heart of China, the mountain is close to Luoyang, the city that served as a capital of nine different dynasties. Since most feudal emperors were either Buddhist or Taoist believers, they frequently paid visits here to offer sacrifice to their ancestors, helping develop these two religions fully. This influence has left the area with some of the best religious sites in China, most obviously the impressive Shaolin Monastery and the grand Zhongyue Temple.

The mountain should take up at least two days of your time, since many of the sights are a little scattered about. Luckily this is an ideal place to stroll, both culture and scenery are here in big supply.