Mount Qingcheng (青城山)

Attraction · Chengdu. Taoist temples on a forested mountain: gate, lake, cable car and Laojun Pavilion.

Source: https://chinafootnotes.com/places/mount-qingcheng · Data checked 2026-10-08 · Rendered for 2026-10-09 (Asia/Shanghai). Facts carry their status; "not found yet" means we searched and found no reliable source.

Why go

Mount Qingcheng (青城山) is a forested Taoist mountain where working temples, covered bridges and stone steps run up from a gate on the valley floor. This page covers the Front Mountain (前山), the area most visitors mean: Jianfu Palace (建福宫) at the gate, Tianshi Cave (天师洞), Shangqing Palace (上清宫) and Laojun Pavilion (老君阁). The Back Mountain (后山) is a separate area with tickets sold separately and is mainly a long canyon hike.

What to do

• Enter at Jianfu Palace. Go through the front gate at Jianfu Palace square (建福宫广场), the only entrance to the Front Mountain. Jianfu Palace is the first Taoist temple at the foot of the mountain, built in the Tang dynasty with red walls and dark tiles.
• Cross Yuecheng Lake by boat. At Yuecheng Lake (月城湖) you can take the one-way boat to the Zhangren Spring side (丈人泉) for ¥5 or walk round the flat lake. The cable car station is on the far side.
• Ride the cable car, then climb on foot. The cable car (月城湖—四望观) takes about 10 minutes and does not reach the summit; you still climb stone steps to Shangqing Palace (上清宫) and Laojun Pavilion (老君阁), the tiered tower near the top.
• Walk down past Tianshi Cave. Tianshi Cave (天师洞) is the main temple complex on the descent, with an old ginkgo to pause under. A cable-car-up, walk-down loop takes about four hours.

• Don't miss: Jianfu Palace's 394-character couplet is described as a unique wonder of Qingcheng; stop there for about ten minutes before the climb.

• Best time: Go early; arrive for the 08:00 opening
• Skip if: Skip the Front Mountain if you only want a quick sight: even the cable-car loop takes about four hours, and holiday crowds can close online sales early.

Practical details

• Hours: 08:00–17:30 (08:30–17:00 from 1 Nov)
• Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun: 08:00–17:30, last entry 17:00
• Apr 1–Oct 31 (04-01 to 10-31), Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun: 08:00–17:30, last entry 17:00
• Nov 1–Mar 31 (11-01 to 03-31), Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun: 08:30–17:00, last entry 16:30
• Operator notices (February and September 2026) give 08:00–17:30 with ticket sales stopping 17:00 from Apr 1 to Oct 31, and 08:30–17:00 with sales stopping 16:30 from Nov 1 to Mar 31.
• Cable car 08:00–17:30 (peak) or 09:00–17:00 (off-season); lake boat 08:00–17:30 in summer, 08:30–17:00 otherwise; shuttle 08:00–18:00 (peak) or 08:30–17:30.
• Admission: Ticketed · ¥80 adult (Front Mountain)
• Adult, Front Mountain: ¥80 (All year)
• Cable car (月城湖—四望观), one way: ¥35 — ¥60 return; children under 1.2 m free; 1.2–1.5 m ¥20 one way or ¥30 return.
• Yuecheng Lake boat, one way: ¥5 — Children over 1.2 m pay the full fare.
• Shuttle, car park to Front Mountain gate: ¥10 — Half route; children under 1.3 m free.
• Concession: Minors aged 6–18 and full-time students up to bachelor level (¥40) ¥40 (Valid ID or student card. For foreign visitors the operator names only full-time students up to bachelor level as half price; others pay the full ¥80.)
• Free: Children aged 6 or younger, or 1.3 m and under, including foreign children (Height/age check; an adult must accompany them.)
• Free: Chinese-national visitors aged 65+ (ID. Operator page: among foreign visitors only full-time students up to bachelor level get a discount; all others pay the full ¥80.)
• The ticket excludes the shuttle, cable car, boat, bamboo-pole rental and guide services.
• The Back Mountain (青城后山) is a separate area with its own ticket; the price here is for the Front Mountain only.
• The operator ticket page (shared with Dujiangyan) lists seniors aged 65+ as free, but the same page says foreign visitors other than students pay the full price. Foreign seniors should expect to pay ¥80.
• Children aged 6 or younger, or 1.3 m and under, enter free, including foreign children.
• Booking: Book online ahead on holidays; windows sell leftovers
• Qingcheng Shan Dujiangyan / Yueyou Dujiangyan WeChat accounts (青城山都江堰 / 悦游都江堰 公众号) — WeChat → search 青城山都江堰 or 悦游都江堰 → ticket booking · passport: yes
• Ctrip / Trip.com and Meituan (authorised platforms) (携程、美团（官方授权）) — Trip.com or Ctrip → Mount Qingcheng ticket
• Ticket Booking inbound-visitor platform (linked to the official WeChat account) (入境游专属购票平台 Ticket Booking) — Via the scenic area WeChat account → inbound tickets · passport: yes
• Ticket window and self-service machines at the Front Mountain gate area (景区售票窗口、扫码购、自助机) · passport: yes
• Passport accepted: yes — The operator ticket page covers Qingcheng Front Mountain and Dujiangyan together: choose passport or foreigner residence permit when booking and use the staffed manual lane, or buy at a window by showing the document.
• On public holidays the operator requires online real-name booking up to 15 days ahead in timed windows (08:00–10:00, 10:00–12:00, 12:00–14:00, 14:00–17:00). Capacity is 22,000 a day; OTA and agency sales close at 15,400 booked and entry pauses at 19,800.
• Unused tickets can be cancelled in the official WeChat account until 23:59 the day after the visit date.
• A September 2026 promotional guide says Qingcheng tickets can be booked 3–5 days ahead; the operator's holiday notices allow booking up to 15 days ahead, which is the rule for holiday periods.
• Last admission: 17:00 (16:30 from 1 Nov)
• Time to allow: 4–7 hr
• Getting there: Train from Xipu to Qingchengshan station, then bus 101
• Show a taxi driver: 青城山前山景区（建福宫广场前山山门），都江堰市青城山镇
• The same-platform metro–train transfer at Xipu had limits when it reopened in October 2024: trains leaving within 30 minutes only, 07:00–20:00, otherwise exit at A1. The current rules are not confirmed; see the Dujiangyan page for the railway company's 2026 statement.
• The direct ¥20 shuttle from opposite the station appears in the operator's February 2026 notice. An August 2026 visitor was told it had stopped and was sent to bus 101 and the main car park, and a June 2026 post from a guesthouse account (commercial) says the same.
• Foreign visitors: Passport tickets and manual lane; card use unconfirmed

Not found yet

• transport.fromCenter.minutes: No operator door-to-door time was found. The rail leg is about 30 minutes (two Trip.com posts) plus a bus or shuttle to the gate, but the metro leg from Tianfu Square to Xipu is quoted as 36 and 48 minutes on two aggregators, so a total is not stated. (searched: Trip.com Moments, transport aggregators, Chinese web search)
• foreignVisitors.payment.foreignCard: Foreign-card acceptance at the Front Mountain ticket windows and the gate ATM is covered by 2024 news reports, but acceptance for the shuttle, boat and cable car was not found. (searched: news, operator notices, reddit)
• foreignVisitors.foreignPhone: No source says whether an overseas phone number can register the official WeChat accounts or the Ticket Booking platform. (searched: operator ticket page, Trip.com Moments, reddit)

Traveler tips

• Book with a passport, use the manual lane. The operator's ticket page for Qingcheng Front Mountain and Dujiangyan says to choose passport or foreigner residence permit as the ID when booking, then enter through the staffed manual lane; you can also buy at a ticket window by showing the document. Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan visitors use their travel-permit numbers. Caveat: The page does not say which booking channel (WeChat official accounts, an OTA or the Ticket Booking platform) works best with a passport. source
• On holidays, book up to 15 days ahead. On public holidays Qingcheng Front Mountain sells timed real-name tickets in four entry windows up to 15 days ahead. Capacity is 22,000 a day; OTA and agency sales close once 15,400 are booked and entry pauses at 19,800. On peak holiday days online sales can close early, leaving only windows, scan-to-buy points and self-service machines. Caveat: Once the early-warning figure is reached, OTA and agency sales close first; windows and machines are then meant for visitors already near the scenic area. On the second day of the October 2025 holiday a visitor (小木头) found the queue already long after 08:30 and advised booking on the official account in advance. A September 2026 promotional guide (蜀人行讲解) says to book 3–5 days ahead; the operator's holiday notices allow 15 days. source
• Use the Jianfu Palace gate only. The only entrance to the Front Mountain is the main gate at Jianfu Palace square (建福宫广场). The Feixian Temple (飞仙观) entrance is closed, so a taxi or map pin set there will not get you in. Set your destination to the front gate and check the notices if you came for a different gate. Caveat: Both notices (February and September 2026) repeat the closure; neither gives a reopening date. An April 2026 post (爱吃巧克力的花花) describes walking down and leaving by the Feixian Temple checkpoint; an August 2026 commenter says that exit is outside the scenic area, no longer in service, and leaves a walk of about 5 km to a taxi. Treat any route that ends at Feixian Temple as unavailable unless a new notice says otherwise. source
• Train to Qingchengshan station. From central Chengdu take Metro Line 2 or 6 to Xipu (犀浦), change to the intercity train and ride to Qingchengshan (青城山) station: about 30 minutes and ¥10. Caveat: Two Trip.com posts (a September 2026 loop itinerary and an April 2026 trip) agree on the train; they differ on how to cover the last few kilometres, and the Xipu platform transfer has rules (see the Dujiangyan page). Four Xiaohongshu posts (October 2025 to September 2026) give the same ¥10 and about 30 minutes; one October 2025 visitor took the 11:05 train out and the 17:05 train back to Chengdu. (5 travelers) source
• Getting from Qingchengshan station to the gate. From Qingchengshan station the Front Mountain gate is about 3–4 km away, much farther than a 15-minute walk. Walk out to the left of the station and take bus 101 (¥2, about 7–8 minutes) to the Qingcheng main car park, then ride the ¥10 sightseeing shuttle (about 2 km) to the gate. Walking the whole way takes close to an hour. Caveat: Iliya (April 2026) found the shuttle skips the old archway, the garden and the temple, and suggests walking those sights from the car park or half-way point; the "15-minute stroll" in the post is the distance between those sights, not from the station. GnixAij (May 2026) walked roughly 3–4 km down the mountain to the station, and on the way in took a taxi to the entrance checkpoint and walked the last 2 km. The ¥20 one-way station shuttle is listed in the operator's February 2026 notice, and the September 2026 notice lists only the ¥10 half route from the car park. Autumn 2025 visitors also used a ¥5 minibus from the station car park (麦麦吃不饱 and 我教你煮螺蛳粉啊), and bus 101 ran about every half hour. An August 2026 visitor (聆笼) was told the direct ¥20 shuttle from opposite the station had stopped and was sent to bus 101; a June 2026 post from a local guesthouse account (commercial) says the same. One September 2026 post describes bus 101 as going straight to the mountain gate, which the others do not. The last bus time is not published. (8 travelers) source
• Choose which way to use the cable car. The Front Mountain is one loop. Walking up the left side and riding the cable car down takes about 3.5–4.5 hours; the stretch between Chaoyang Cave (朝阳洞) and Laojun Pavilion is steep, and going up is safer than coming down. Riding up and walking down takes about 4–5 hours, and the steep steps down are hard on the knees. The cable car costs ¥35 one way and only reaches the mid-mountain temples, not the summit. Caveat: Walk up, ride down is the choice of 我教你煮螺蛳粉啊 (October 2025), momo (October 2025), 聆笼 (August 2026), 毛毛 (June 2026), 歪歪是我的小太阳 (September 2026) and 曾真正啊 (September 2026), who describe the steps between Chaoyang Cave and Laojun Pavilion as narrow and steep. Ride up, walk down (爱吃巧克力的花花, April 2026; 杰卡, September 2026; 小木头, October 2025) avoids repeating the same path. Steps are mossy and slippery in wet weather (曾真正啊, September 2026), and someone slipped on the steep descent in August 2026 (聆笼). The Trip.com post names the upper cable-car station as near Ciyun Pavilion; the operator lists it as Siwang Temple (四望观). A May 2026 blogger who stopped at the lake and never rode up described the cable car as a conveyor belt to the upper temples. Visitors time the ride at 5–6 minutes (爱吃巧克力的花花, April 2026; 聆笼, August 2026) against the operator figure of 10 minutes. Go early: an October 2025 visitor who started early rode down at 11:30 with no line and saw the line for going up already long, a commenter that month walked down because the afternoon line was too long, and an August 2026 post says the cable-car line can be very long. (11 travelers) source
• Check the ticket extras. The ¥80 ticket does not include the shuttle, boat, cable car or guide. Cable car: ¥35 one way, ¥60 return (children under 1.2 m free; 1.2–1.5 m ¥20 or ¥30). Yuecheng Lake boat: ¥5 one way. Shuttle from the car park to the gate: ¥10. A guide service line is 4000-860-012. Bamboo walking poles sell for about ¥3–10 at the foot of the mountain and cost more higher up. Caveat: Prices are from the operator's 2026 notices; operating hours change by season (cable car 08:00–17:30 peak, 09:00–17:00 off-season). A November 2025 post says the last cable car down ran at 17:30 at weekends and 17:00 on weekdays; the operator lists 17:00 for the off-season. Pole prices are quoted as ¥3, ¥5 for two or ¥5 each depending on the seller. (4 travelers) source
• Plan for four to seven hours. Allow about four hours for the cable-car loop and 5.5–7 hours if you walk the whole route. Day-ticket sales stop at 17:00 (16:30 from 1 November) and the area closes at 17:30 (17:00 from 1 November), so start early. Caveat: The operator gives about four hours in February and 5.5–7 hours in September. A May 2026 blogger who arrived after midday ran out of time before the upper temples. Fit hikers who walked up the left side and rode the cable car down report 3.5 hours (我教你煮螺蛳粉啊, October 2025, 12:10 to 15:44), under 4 hours (momo, October 2025) and 4.5 hours (歪歪是我的小太阳, September 2026); a September 2026 post puts the easy cable-car-up loop at 4.5–5 hours. (6 travelers) source
• If the ID check fails, ask staff. At the Front Mountain gate, staff will check your ID against the booking. If the machine will not accept it, ask for a manual pass. Foreign visitors use the manual lane for passports. Caveat: In May 2026 two Chinese students whose discount tickets failed the gate ID check were let through manually after a short wait; the post does not describe a passport case. source
• Front and Back Mountain tickets differ. This page covers the Front Mountain. The Back Mountain (后山) has its own ticket and is mainly a canyon hike. It is quieter than the Front Mountain; plan at least half a day and start in the morning. _Caveat: The Back Mountain has its own ticket; check its price and hours on the spot. Posts quote about ¥20 (students ¥10): a visitor post from 2 October 2025 and two promotional guides from June and September 2026; no operator price is published. Time needed differs: one trip report says 6–8 hours, while a single Reddit comment (Icy_Display_3548, July 2026) budgets half a day and finds it more tranquil and better for hiking._ (3 travelers) source
• Park at the main car park. Drivers can park at the Qingcheng main car park, about two minutes on foot from the shuttle stop; when it is full, the notices name overflow car parks (P1 plus a second lot). Private cars cannot drive to the gate: ride the ¥10 shuttle from the car park or walk about 2 km. Caveat: Parking fees were not stated. Set the satnav to the Qingcheng main car park (青城前山综合停车场) rather than a point near the gate; a July 2026 post (Alioc) describes a different lot where a tout charged an extra ¥20. (3 travelers) source
• Hire guides only through the visitor centre. Buy tickets only through the official WeChat accounts or authorised platforms and hire a guide only at the Qingcheng–Dujiangyan visitor centre. The scenic administration warns that tickets from unofficial channels may be refused at the gate or be non-refundable, and that touts outside the area are unlicensed. Caveat: The notice names the visitor centre but not its location at Qingcheng; the guide line for Qingcheng is 4000-860-012 in the February 2026 notice. source
• Inbound Ticket Booking platform. The scenic-area administration runs an inbound-visitor platform called Ticket Booking, linked to its official WeChat account, with English, Japanese, Korean, Thai and French screens and 41 payment currencies. Look for it if the Chinese WeChat flow is hard to use. Caveat: The report describes the Dujiangyan visitor centre; it does not confirm that the Qingcheng gate staff or windows offer the same languages. source
• Check for the annual cable-car shutdown. The Front Mountain cable car stops for scheduled equipment inspections. In 2025 it stopped from 24 to 27 November and resumed on 28 November. If you arrive during a shutdown, you walk up and down instead of riding, so allow more time. Caveat: The cable car closes for a few days each year for its statutory inspection; dates are announced about a week ahead. The 2025 notice cites the national cable-car inspection rules. source
• Laojun Pavilion may be under renovation. Laojun Pavilion (老君阁), the highest point of the Front Mountain, was under renovation in August and September 2026, with green netting and scaffolding around it while the main hall stayed open. Visitors give the end of the work as 30 September or late October, and the pavilion is not a required stop. Caveat: Two posts disagree on the end date: 曾真正啊 (21 September 2026) says the work runs to 30 September, and elenastorm (September 2026 post) says late October. A 30 September 2026 post (杰卡) lists the pavilion as a photo spot without mentioning work, and an October 2026 commenter describes visiting it. The scenic area has published no notice about the renovation. (2 travelers) source
• Decline lifts from touts. At the car park entrance, people posing as staff stop cars and say you can drive up to the ticket office. You pay, they give you an address and you drive yourself; parking costs extra, and the car park is still about 2 km from the ticket office. Tricycle and motorbike riders on that road then quote ¥20–30 a person. Use bus 101, the official ¥10 shuttle or your own feet instead, and buy the ¥80 ticket only at the Front Mountain gate or from the official channels. Caveat: Alioc (4 July 2026) paid ¥50 to a fake attendant and saw others pay ¥80–100; several commenters describe the same approach, and one paid ¥80 for an electric-vehicle round trip on 20 July 2026. 爱吃巧克力的花花 (April 2026) also warns that people at the Tianhe Temple gate offer a paid "staff route" down that is just the Feixian Temple path. Official shuttle fares come from the operator notices (¥10 from the car park; the September 2026 notice lists no other shuttle). (3 travelers) source
• Station bus goes to Back Mountain only. The direct bus waiting in the car park to the left of Qingchengshan station goes to the Back Mountain (后山), not the Front Mountain. A return trip costs about ¥32–35 per person; for the Front Mountain take bus 101 instead. Caveat: The return fare is ¥35 in an October 2025 post and ¥32 in a June 2026 post; one commenter says the bus follows the scenic area's opening hours, so a late return may not run. Groups of two or more can take a taxi to the Back Mountain gate (毛毛, June 2026). (2 travelers) source

Sources

• Dujiangyan Tourism Commerce Co. (都江堰市都江堰旅游商务有限责任公司)
• Qingcheng–Dujiangyan Scenic Area Administration (official NetEase account 青城山都江堰) (published 2026-09-24)
• Qingcheng–Dujiangyan Scenic Area Administration (official NetEase account 青城山都江堰) (published 2026-02-15)
• Dujiangyan Municipal Public Security Bureau (via Chengdu Fabu) (published 2026-09-20)
• Dujiangyan Public Security (official NetEase account) (published 2026-09-23)
• Red Star News / Chengdu Quansou (QQ News) (published 2026-10-02)
• Chengdu Fabu (Chengdu municipal information office Weibo) (published 2026-10-03)
• Securities Times / People's Finance News (人民财讯) (published 2026-10-04)
• Chuanguan News (川观新闻), from Chengdu Fabu (published 2026-10-05)
• China Culture Daily (中国文化报, via Guangming Online) (published 2026-01-12)
• GnixAij (published 2026-06-04)
• Sichuan Online (四川在线) (published 2024-10-18)
• Chengdu Business Daily (成都商报) via The Paper (published 2025-11-18)
• Iliya_martynov (published 2026-04-06)
• elenastorm (published 2026-09-02)
• Icy_Display_3548 (published 2026-07-14)
• Sichuan Online (四川在线) (published 2024-05-03)
• Red Star News (红星新闻) via Tencent News (published 2024-05-11)
• momo (published 2025-10-06)
• -巧克力瑞士卷er (published 2025-11-30)
• 爱吃巧克力的花花 (published 2026-04-05)
• 歪歪是我的小太阳 (published 2026-09-27)
• 曾真正啊 (published 2026-09-21)
• Alioc (published 2026-07-04)
• momo (published 2025-10-13)
• 小木头 (published 2025-10-02)
• 聆笼📷 (published 2026-08-16)
• 我教你煮螺蛳粉啊 (published 2025-10-18)
• 麦麦吃不饱 (published 2025-10-18)
• 毛毛 (published 2026-06-20)
• 杰卡 (published 2026-09-30)
• 青城叁里民宿 (published 2026-05-18)
• 蜀人行讲解 (published 2026-09-02)
• 麻薯是个旅行家 (published 2026-06-29)

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