The Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park stands out as one of the most interesting things to do in China. People often say that the mountain, which is more than 1500 meters high, is the most beautiful peak in the world. It also has the opening to a cave that the Chinese call the “Stairway to Heaven.”
The longest public cableway in the world is on Tianmen Mountain. This cableway lets people see the whole of Tianmen by taking them from the bottom to the top. Also, there are a lot of rock paths and stairs on the mountain for people who want to get to the top on their own.
The Chinese think that one of these stairs is different from the others because it goes to Heaven. The 999 steps on the Stairway to Heaven lead to the Cave Square at the top of the mountain. The length of the staircase is 218 meters. It starts at 1,105 meters and finishes at 1,170 meters.
The word “Tianmen” comes from the Chinese word “tian,” which means “Heaven.” The name Tianmen, which means “sky gate,” shows how important it is as the entrance to the higher stages of Chinese spirituality.
The Taoist views of the Chinese are the reason why Tianmen Mountain is so important to them. The story says that one day, there was a very loud sound that came from the sky. Five clouds hung over the mountain, and the Jade Emperor, Taoism’s highest god, spoke to the people.
The Jade Emperor wished everyone well and then disappeared. After this happened, the Chinese changed the name of the mountain because they thought it had something to do with Gods and Heaven. This story is shown in the song “Stairway to Heaven.”
At the top of the stairs, past the cave, there is a place where people pray called the Altar of Tianmen. It’s not an accident or a bonus that there are exactly 999 steps. The Chinese think of the number 9 as meaning “infinity,” and the steps show that Heaven and Earth are also endless.
Along the stairs, there are 5 places to stop. These are called “You Yu”, “Qin Se”, “Chang Sheng”, “Qing Yun”, and “Ru Yi.” The names stand for the five gifts that Taoism says everyone needs, like wealth, happiness, long life, power, and luck. Tianmen and the stairs are both important parts of Chinese culture and beautiful places for tourists to visit.
