Cangshan Mountain

(chinadaily.com.cn)

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Cangshan Mountain provides magnificent spectacles for visitors. [Photo/shanxi.gov.cn] 

Cangshan Mountain -- a registered national 4A scenic area in Yuxian county in Yangquan city -- is one of the most famous mountains in the history of North China's Shanxi province. 

In Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC), a loyal officer's family were killed due to false accusations -- apart from a baby which was saved and hidden in the mountain, so the mountain came to be known as Cang, which means to hide in Chinese.

The story was adapted by famous French thinker Voltaire into The Orphan of Zhao and was staged in Europe in the middle of the 18th century, showcasing Chinese traditional virtues and culture. 

An area integrating historical, cultural and natural features, it is composed of 168 scenic spots. These are arranged in four major sections: the Orphan Cultivation Garden, Spring and Autumn Orphan Hide, Lotus Temple and Immortal Mountain Natural Ecological Zone. 

Here visitors can explore historical myths stretching back over 2,600 years, worship saints and feast their eyes on magnificent palaces and pavilions. They can take in beautiful mountains and waters and see diverse animals and plants, which thrive in a region where the annual average temperature is around 10.9 C and annual rainfall averages 570 millimeters. 

Address: 18 kilometers north to Yuxian county, Yangquan city, Shanxi province 

Best periods for coming: April to October 

Opening hours: 8:00-19:00  (summer)

               8:00-18:00  (winter) 

Ticket price: 80 yuan ($11.42) per person

Tel: 0353—8145078

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Exploring Cangshan's historic hiding place