Louguantai

Louguantai Shan 樓觀台

Mountain with Taoist temples
Taoist sage Lao Tzu (Laozi) taught here
Set in Louguantai Forest Park
70 km south east of Xian city in the foothills of the Qinling Mountains
Remote area known for its pandas and other wildlife
Louguantai Wild Animal Breeding and Protection Center located here

Louguantai Temple, China. — Louguantai Temple

The remote mountains of Louguantai Shan, about a hour's drive south west of Xian, are known as an important place in the development of Taoism (Daoism) and more recently as a wildlife reserve for giant pandas and other endangered animals.

Rare animals known to inhabit the mountains include black bears, the crested ibis, giant salamanders, leopards, monkeys, musk deer, and the white lipped deer.

Lao Tzu

Legend has it, that it was in this area that the great sage Lao Tzu completed his classic Tao Te Ching in the 6th century BC and gave lectures on his work before leaving China on his journey westwards to an unknown destination.

The scenic hills around the Louguantai Taoist Temple are heavily forested with pine, oak, juniper and bamboo and the area is crossed by a number of fast-flowing mountain streams. Taoism stresses longevity, humility, non-action (wu wei), and reverence for nature. It is easy to see in the natural surroundings of Louguantai what may have drawn Lao Tzu to the area, on his spiritual search for truth, thousands of years ago.

The temple complex consists of a number of wooden pavilions, a dormitory and dining hall for the Taoist monks and a souvenir shop. The temple buildings are fitted with solar panels as part of the abbot's commitment to the environment. The grounds also have a gingko tree supposedly planted by the great master himself.