In the heart of eternal China, between misty valleys and dizzying peaks, hides a country where time seems to stand still. Here, nature and the arts live in harmony. This majestic landscape saw the birth of the greatest treasures of Chinese civilization. The ancient temples that populate its walls are only one facet: cradle of Taoism, traditional medicine and martial arts, the sacred mountains of Wudang conceal many secrets. The Wudang is a mountain range located in Hubei province, central China, 1,200 km south of Beijing. stretched over 400 km2, it consists of a succession of steep peaks and deep ravines. The region's very humid climate plunges the hanging valleys into a perpetual mist, tinting the decor with an aura of mystery. In this unreal picture, clinging to the rocky slopes of the mountains, stands a vast network of around sixty medieval temples and monasteries which form an ensemble classified as a UNESCO world heritage site. Beyond its architectural value, it is in this unique site that the Taoism flourishes. The oldest buildings date from the 7th century, but most were built in the 15th century, during the Ming dynasty, when the emperor Zhu Di undertook a policy of major works whose best-known legacy remains the City Banned from Beijing. At this time, the emperor assigned more than 20,000 soldiers to build temples in the Wudang Mountains to honor Zhenwu, an important Taoist deity. Legend has it that Zhenwu, born of a royal family, renounced his throne at the age of 15 and retired as a hermit here to seek the Truth. After 4 decades of asceticism, he ascended to heaven and became immortal. In the past, this magnificent dragon head, 3 m long and sculpted perpendicular to a deep cliff, served as an incense burner for intrepid people who dared to defy the void to show their piety to the god. Today, after their prayer, visitors simply throw a coin into this tank. The architectural diversity of the sacred buildings of Wudang is representative of the art of successive dynasties and attests to the genius of an age-old civilization. Some of these temples and monasteries are still active. The monastic tradition is still alive here after falling into disuse in the middle of the 20th century. Wanting to eradicate traditional values, Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution repressed all forms of religious beliefs. Many temples were then destroyed, but the Wudang, retreating, escaped these destructions. The community of Taoist religious people who had had to flee at the time was able to resettle and now shares the place with hordes of visitors. More and more Chinese people, eager to reclaim this forgotten part of their culture, are going there. In recent years, the emergence of a middle class in China has favored the growth of tourism. For these new vacationers Wudang is a very popular destination for the beauty of the landscape and the priceless religious relics that they shelter. Like, for example, the approximately 1,500 statues in bronze, iron, wood or stone, the hundreds of sacrificial objects, but also the classical paintings and other rock engravings carved even from the rock. The influx of visitors is not without its problems. The immensity of the site requires you to stay several days on site to discover all its aspects, and gigantic hotel complexes are built around the park. To preserve this fragile environment, the circulation of private vehicles is prohibited and the authorities have set up a vast network of gas-powered buses. The distances which separate the different temples make their use essential to visit the places in the best conditions. But traveling part of the steep paths on foot remains the best way to capture the soul of the place, and to meet the monks who populate it. Around the sites, in the town of Wudangshan, the heritage of the ancients mixes with modern life. Taoist precepts influence many aspects of daily life. Traditional Chinese medicine is an application of these principles. Its origins go back to the dawn of time. In the Chinese conception, the ills of the body and those of the mind are linked. They are the consequence of poor circulation of energy, the “vital breath”, called Qi. Qi passes through the body along meridians associated with different organs and viscera. Disease results from a blockage of this flow. The practitioner will then determine the cause of the problem and redirect the flow of energy by acting on specific points, in particular through acupuncture. For stomach aches, it is this point I feel the energy coming towards the center Other practices linked to Taoism make it possible to improve the movement of Qi in the body, or even to reach the harmony with the Tao. This central concept, which could be translated as “the Path” or “the Way”, designates the natural balance of forces in the cosmos. This is the ultimate goal sought by the Taoists, a state of complete self-realization, the promise of creativity and long life. Wudangshan Town is the starting point for visiting the Wudang Mountains. The influx of visitors is an essential resource for the commerce of this town populated mainly by inhabitants from the surrounding countryside who have come to try to improve their living conditions. Night markets are very popular in China. Tourists mingle with the local population, who enjoy walking at dusk and shopping for dinner in the evening. The street vendors' carts fill the air with appetizing scents with culinary specialties of all kinds that illustrate the diversity of Chinese gastronomy. Here, discussions take place directly between consumers and producers who come to offer their harvests of exotic fruits and vegetables. Wudangshan, modernity is gradually taking precedence over tradition. As in all cities in the country, traffic is very heavy. The contrast with the peaceful atmosphere of the sacred mountains is striking... We leave the cacophony of the city to find the tranquility of the mountains. Not far from the immemorial temples, Taoist discipline is found in the teaching of the arts. In the heart of nature, in this small isolated village in the foothills of Wudang, a music school perpetuates the learning of one of the oldest traditional instruments. Inspired by this landscape conducive to contemplation, the students devote themselves to the practice of guqin. This plucked stringed instrument is a kind of zither, approximately 1m long, equipped with 7 strings traditionally made of silk thread. Nicknamed “the instrument of the wise,” his music embodies all the refinement and sophistication of Chinese civilization. Few violin makers continue the traditional manufacturing of guqin. This music school is also renowned for the quality of its instruments. There are many customers, but the manufacture of guqin is a long process and it takes no less than ten years to receive your order. The extremely soft and subtle sound of the guqin makes it a difficult instrument to handle, the slightest nuances of touch producing very varied timbres. Mastering it requires around twenty years of practice. Today there are less than a thousand accomplished players and only about fifty recognized masters. The classical repertoire included thousands of works, but only about a hundred still survive. These complex compositions evoke the history, mythology or philosophy of this great civilization. The emotional depth of this music is based on the balance between the complementary forces of full and empty, Yin and Yang. We find once again the precepts of the Tao. The practice is similar to a form of meditation. Moreover, in classical paintings, the instrument is often represented in the hands of a solitary aesthet immersed in the contemplation of nature. A true natural sanctuary, Wudang Park is home to numerous medicinal plants, including more than 800 rare species. There The most famous of all is obviously tea. The tea trees are planted in terraced gardens which follow the relief of the foothills, between 800 and 1,200m above sea level. Wudang Dao Cha is a very popular variety of green tea, harvested from young shoots just after the rainy season. Cultivated according to ancestral know-how, it is one of the most exported agricultural products from the Hubei province. According to a famous Chinese saying: “a little tea every day keeps the doctor away forever ”. This is because tea has many virtues: its powerful antioxidants have an anti-cancer action and help reduce hypertension and the onset of cardiovascular diseases. The anine it contains is an excellent stress reliever. This tea served 3 times will have a very different taste each time. For all these qualities, tea is very appreciated by the Chinese. Far from being a simple pleasure drink , it constitutes a true social and culinary institution, present in all activities of daily life. It is also inseparable from the Taoism. To reveal its most noble aspects, tea must be prepared according to a well-codified method. It is a true art which also serves as a concentration technique taught to young Wudang monks. Tea helps calm the body and mind and makes it conducive to meditation while its subtle taste allows you to enter into harmony with nature. The Taoists consider it as a elixir of youth, useful in their quest for eternity. At nightfall, the mountains empty of their walkers and return to the calm of the elements. The monasteries fall asleep, peaceful. Every day at 5 a.m., the nuns of the Temple of the Purple Clouds celebrate a ritual service. The Wudang Taoists belong to the Quanzhen order, which is distinguished by its open- mindedness. Thus, since its origins, women have been welcome in the order and can even access the priesthood. The nuns officiate to a backdrop of traditional music. They read sacred texts and chant liturgical chants in the presence of the faithful, under the benevolent gaze of the statues of the immortals. While most monastic communities live in seclusion, the monks of Wudang open their doors to the public, sometimes soliciting the assistance of those in office. The priestess leads the rest of the ceremony in front of an altar set up for the occasion. Her traditional dress is decorated with embroidered patterns of symbols representing the sky and the earth, the natural elements, animal and plant life and the virtues of the spirit. She also wears the Taoist headdress , high and black, topped with a small golden crown tinkling with small pearls. The faithful kneel, prostrate and rise following the rhythm of the ceremony. In Chinese spirituality, incense is omnipresent. It has been burned ritually for millennia. Incense forms the link between heaven and earth because its smoke is believed to carry prayers to the heavens. It also has a purifying function on holy places and their occupants. The most superstitious Chinese use it every day in their homes, and must come at least once a month to burn a stick at the temple. Over time, Taoism has taken on aspects of a religion by mingling with popular beliefs, but its origins are more akin to philosophical teaching. You have to get lost in the forest to find the roots of this doctrine. This small temple, known only to initiates, is dedicated to Lao Tzu. Often represented as an old man with an eternal white beard, he would have lived between the 6th and 5th centuries BC, the same period as another influential thinker: Confucius. Lao Tzu is considered the father of Taoism and author of its founding work the Tao Te Ching, or “Book of the Way and Virtue”. Written in verse, the Tao Te Ching is a set of metaphorical maxims in an enigmatic sense. Unlike Confucianism, which seeks to improve human relations through morality, Taoism refutes life in society. To find inner peace, the individual must follow the Tao, "the Way", in order to achieve balance between the opposing forces of yin and yang, between the visible and the invisible, the light and the dark . This harmony is found in the imitation of Nature, wild and authentic. Taoist conceptions of the world have influenced certain ancestral practices. The most prominent example is certainly that of martial arts. Unlike kung fu, a so-called "external" martial art inherited from the Buddhist monks of the Shaolin school, the Taoist monks of Wudang developed a so-called "internal" style, which designates the inner force as superior to the Muscular force. Tai chi stems from this approach. The Wudang style is attributed to a wandering hermit who came to retire here with his disciples. According to legend, he had a revelation while observing the fight between a crane and a snake. The flexibility of the reptile and its continuous movement allowed it to avoid the jerky attacks of the bird. The hermit drew from it the founding principles of the internal arts: the primacy of flexibility over rigidity, of intellect over pure force. A discipline resulting from this school is qi gong, literally “mastery of vital energy ” which brings together millions of enthusiasts throughout the country. His practice focuses on spiritual aspects and the mastery of breath. A sort of martial gymnastics, qi gong is based on slow movements, which allow you to control the flow of energy through the body. Breathing techniques are at the heart of the learning. It is also a form of meditation that has proven health benefits. Not far from there, an old man practices a completely different discipline: calligraphy. Despite appearances, this art also uses breathing techniques and precise postures and requires the same requirement of concentration. Chinese writing, known for its particular graphic style, is based on the use of ideograms, graphic symbols that encompass the meaning of a word or idea. The signifier and the signified are united in a line of evocative beauty. Chinese characters are believed to have been invented around 3000 BC by a legendary sage. Equipped with two pairs of eyes, he could perceive the deep nature of things and reproduce them with a corresponding symbol. Over the centuries, the art of calligraphy has become the prerogative of scholars. With their knowledge of classical spiritual and literary texts, these scholars had a leading role in the imperial regime and Chinese society. Far from being just a simple communication tool, in China calligraphy constitutes a major art whose aesthetic has permeated all other plastic arts. Beyond its beauty, it requires technique and concentration. These are Chinese paintings of animals. Once your work is completed, you must put a seal on your work. More than just a signature, it is an art form in its own right. Framing is an essential step to perfect the work which is produced on very fine rice paper, favored for the rapid drying of the ink. You must first mask the calligraphy, that is to say, stick it on a more rigid support, often a canvas, which reinforces the paper and ensures the preservation of the work. The whole thing is then pressed to remove air bubbles. Strips of silk muslin are added which enrich the frame by bringing nuances of color and texture. To finish, we insert thin wooden sticks at the ends which will allow the final result to hang on the wall. It was in China that paper was invented , and marouflage techniques appeared there in Antiquity. Framing is not a simple pleasure but a true art aimed at creating a space around the work conducive to its contemplation. Across the country, breakfast is one of the most important times of the day. So we eat a real meal,
served hot and often salty. It is customary to taste it on the outside. Baozi are stuffed and steamed buns. Very popular, there is
a wide variety. The dough is generally made from wheat flour and water. Different types of stuffing, meat or vegetables, are wrapped
in this yeast dough, then the whole thing is steamed. There is also a sweet variant, filled with red bean puree. Another well-known specialty,
noodles form the basis of an infinite number of dishes, garnished with vegetables or meats in sauces. Soups are also very popular. There are all kinds of them, based on rice, vegetables, eggs, meat or fish. Often, the Chinese enjoy them with hot soy milk. In the streets,
already bustling at this early hour, street vendors and small stalls try to attract customers with their homemade specialties. You Tiao, which can literally be translated as "long fried piece", is a donut cooked in vegetable oil. Composed essentially of flour, water and salt, this specialty is eaten in various ways, often dipped in soy milk. Generally speaking, the Chinese love fried foods of all kinds, whether fritters, meat or even insect and reptile skewers. Crowded by customers before their working day, it is not uncommon for these restaurants to close once breakfast time has passed. Built on the highest point of the massif, called the Heavenly Pillar, reigns the jewel of the Wudang temples: the Golden Sanctuary. All year round, crowds flock to visit this monument. But today, the crowds are record because it is the 9th day of the 9th month of the Chinese calendar and it is 9 a.m. According to popular belief, this is the time when the dragon's eve occurs. The Chinese, the most superstitious, therefore come in numbers to the Sanctuary to burn incense and thus attract luck for the coming year. Access to the summit is via a very narrow passage. While the climb usually takes around fifteen minutes, it takes no less than 4 hours on busy days. The Golden Sanctuary is made entirely of bronze imitating wood. All its elements, from tiles to pillars including doors and beams, are made of this metal. The parts were prefabricated in Beijing and transported to the top of the mountain for assembly. If the builders took so much trouble, it is because the mountain is not a simple decoration. Here, the landscape is sacred, nature is venerated. The Peak of the Heavenly Pillar is one of the five sacred mountains of the Empire, and it is believed to support the heavenly vault, a place of passage for men to the heavens. In the lower part of the temple is the Palace of Harmony of the Great Summit, which houses the Hall of Imperial Books as well as that of Imperial Scriptures. Monks can consult the sacred texts there, an important activity of monastic life, to which one devotes one hour in the morning and another in the evening. On the wooden grilles and partitions, precious ornaments depict storybook characters and other fantastical animals, reflecting the beliefs and aesthetics of the Qing dynasty. After a day's visit, tourists take advantage of the many small stalls to eat on the way back... To capture the soul of Wudang, you sometimes have to park in the deep mountain and not be afraid to think outside the box. Deep in the forest, at the end of an ancient sacred path that plunges into the folds of the mountain, there is a mythical cave. It is here that the hermit, inventor of internal martial arts, retired to theorize the principles of Tai Chi and became immortal. A small statue commemorates this legend before which it is customary to bow. Inside the cave, a kitchen has been set up. lunch time, we are busy in the kitchen. Even today, the cave is occupied by a hermit whose retirement is less serene than that of his predecessor. Do you practice Qigong and Taichi in the morning Every day, a volunteer comes to prepare his meal, which he enjoys sharing with his visitors while showering them with his wisdom. The hermit offers all his guests a small welcome gift, without expecting anything in return. Despite his great age, he continues to practice the harsh asc se tao ste. There are no problems, no worries Shrouded in a mysterious mist, the Wudang monasteries seem timeless. But in reality , there are thousands of little hands working behind the scenes to make them work. Surrounding towns and villages live near the mountain range. On the outskirts of city centers, working-class neighborhoods are home to a varied workforce. Farmers, workers and craftsmen, dozens of trades are working to provide the goods and services necessary for the maintenance of the site. This traditional factory was until recently producing tiles intended to decorate the roofs of temples. In this workshop, all the manufacturing steps were done by hand. Remarkable know-how as well as hard work, which supported dozens of workers. But a few years ago, the Chinese state closed many tile factories for environmental reasons. Indeed, this industry is very energy-intensive and the firing of clay releases thick black smoke, which is extremely polluting. Here, the oven was destroyed by the authorities, and since then the factory has remained abandoned. With their characteristic curved shape, the roofs contribute greatly to the charm of the local landscape. They are also admired for the richness of their ornaments, which are manifested on this tangle of wooden tiles. Despite their refinement, they will remain stored there, destined to be forgotten. However, we could give this pile of tiles a completely different destiny. Indeed, certain buildings in Wudang have not stood the test of time, and are today in a state of ruins. It is away from the hustle and bustle of the tourist circuit that Wudang keeps one of its most precious testaments. The Temple of Wulong Gong, or Palace of the Five Dragons, was the first Taoist building to be built in the heart of these mountains, marking the beginning of a great spiritual adventure. Legend has it that at the dawn of the 7th century, a great drought struck the Middle Kingdom. The governor of Wudang managed to make the rain fall through his prayers. The emperor rewarded him by ordering the construction of the Dragon Hall in his province. Successive emperors used the Taoism to establish their power. They enhanced the site with new constructions to mark the history of their grandeur. This is how the Dragon Hall was transformed into a temple and then into the Palace of the Five Dragons. Today, access is very “regulated”. It takes 4 to 5 hours of walking through the forest to be able to admire it. Once there, you can enjoy the splendor of the place in complete peace and quiet. Here, even more than in any other Wudang temple, one is transported back in time. Cinema enthusiasts will recognize this setting which appears in numerous martial arts films, such as Tigers and Dragons... Taoism has left its mark on the country's thousand-year-old history. Its precepts, applied to the smallest aspects of daily life, have passed through the ages to still reach us today. Today, his teachings continue to spread, influencing the arts, shaping bodies and liberating souls. Defying the laws of nature to prove their devotion, the Chinese people were able to find, in the sacred setting of the Wudang Mountains, their quest for immortality.
