At the foot of the mountain stands the largest temple in southern China, the Grand Temple of Mount Heng (Nanyue Damiao), which is the largest group of ancient buildings in Hunan Province.
Other notable sites in the area include Shangfeng Temple, Fuyan Temple, Zhusheng Temple (8th-century Buddhist monastery) and Zhurong Gong, a small stone temple.
climate
Mount Heng belongs to a humid subtropical climate zone, characterized by ample sunlight and water resources, with mild winters and summers that are not excessively hot, along with abundant rainfall. The climate on Mount Heng shows distinct vertical variations, with an average temperature decrease rate of 0.59°C per 100 meters.[1]
The Nanyue Mount Heng Nature Reserve was established on May 9, 1984, as a provincial-level nature reserve[2], and in 2005, it was successfully upgraded to a national nature reserve.[3]
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Hengshan (Chinese :衡山; pinyin :Héng Shān),also known as Mount Heng,is a mountain in southcentral China's Hunan Province known as the southern mountain (Chinese:南岳;pinyin:Nányuè) of the Five Great Mountains of China. Heng Shan is a mountain range 150 kilometres (93 mi) long with 72 peaks [1] and lies at The vegetation on Mount Heng exhibits elevation zones. Below an altitude of 800 meters lies the subtropical evergreen broad-leaved red soil zone, while above 800 meters are dwarf forests, shrublands, and grassland yellow-brown soil zones. The forest coverage rate reaches 67%, with a rich distribution of rare plant and animal species. The Nanyue Arboretum has been established here. In 1954, experts discovered two wild velvet soapberry trees in the primary secondary forest near Guangji Temple. In 2012, two more wild velvet soapberry trees were found there, making these the only four remaining in the world [4] . In 2013, experts from the Nanyue Mount Heng National Nature Reserve discovered two ancient wild yews, estimated to be over a thousand years old, in Shuikou Village, Longfeng Township, Nanyue District [5] . In 2004, law enforcement officers confiscated a long-eared owl in a farmers’ market; this species had been extinct in Hunan Province for over a decade, and it was caught on Mount Heng [6] . In 2013, a group of tourists spotted a silver pheasant, a nationally protected animal, in the Nanyue Mount Heng area [7] . Xinhua County is a county and the 4th most populous county-level division in the Province of Hunan, China; it is under the administration of Loudi City. Shaoguan is a prefecture-level city in northern Guangdong Province (Yuebei), South China, bordering Hunan to the northwest and Jiangxi to the northeast. It is home to the mummified remains of the sixth Zen Buddhist patriarch Huineng. Its built-up area made up of Zhenjiang, Wujiang and Qujiang urban conurbated districts was home to 1,028,460 inhabitants as of the 2020 census. Hengyang is the second largest city of Hunan Province, China. It straddles the Xiang River about 160 km (99 mi) south of the provincial capital of Changsha. As of the 2020 Chinese census, Its total population was 6,645,243 inhabitants, of whom 1,290,715 lived in the built-up area consisting of 4 urban districts, Nanyue District not being conurbated yet. Zhuzhou, formerly Jianning (建宁), is a prefecture-level city of Hunan Province, China, straddling the Xiang River southeast of the provincial capital, Changsha, and bordering Jiangxi province to the east. It is part of the "Greater Changsha Metropolitan Region, also known as Changzhutan Golden Triangle". The city has jurisdiction over five counties and four districts, and covers an area of 11,420 km2 (4,410 sq mi). Tianzhu Mountain or Mount Tianzhu is a mountain in Anhui, China. Tianzhu Mountain is also called Mount Wan, from which the provincial abbreviation for Anhui ("Wan") derives. Ancient names of the mountain include Mount Huo 霍山, Mount Heng 衡山, and Taiyue 太岳. Chong Heihu is a character in the classic 16th-century Chinese novel Fengshen Yanyi. He is the younger brother of Chong Houhu, the Grand Duke of the North. The Grand Temple of Mount Heng, or Grand Temple of South Mountain is located at the foot of Mount Heng, and on the north of ancient town of Mount Heng in Hengshan County of Hunan, China. It is the largest temple on Mount Heng. It is a major component of Mount Heng National Key Tourist Resort Zone. Renhua County is a county in the northernmost portion of Guangdong province, in China, bordering Jiangxi to the northeast and Hunan to the northwest. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Shaoguan. Renhua County spans an area of 2,223 square kilometres (858 sq mi), and has a population of 200,354 as of the 2010 Chinese Census. Nanyue District is one of five districts in Hengyang City, Hunan Province, China; it is also the 2nd smallest district by population in Hunan. Nanyue District is a rural district about 45 kilometres away from the city proper of Hengyang, As the location of the Mount Heng, Nanyue is currently one of the main tourist destinations in Hunan or the South China. Hengyang County is a county and the 5th most populous county-level division in the Province of Hunan, China; it is under the administration of Hengyang prefecture-level city. Located in the north of Hengyang City and the south east of Hunan province, the county is bordered to the north by Shuangfeng County, to the west by Shaodong County, to the south by the counties of Qidong and Hengdong and the districts of Zhengxiang, Shigu and Zhuhui, to the east by Nanyue District and Hengshan County. Hengyang County covers 2,558.61 km2 (987.88 sq mi) with a population of 1,235,100. The county has 17 towns under its jurisdiction, the county seat is Xidu Town (西渡镇). Hengshan County is a county in the Province of Hunan, China and it is under the administration of Hengyang prefecture-level city. Located in the north of Hengyang and the east-central part of Hunan province, the county is bordered to the north by Xiangtan County, to the northwest by Shuangfeng County, to the southwest and south by Hengyang County, Nanyue District and Hengnan County, to the east by Hengdong County. The county of Hengshan covers 934 km2 (361 sq mi) with a population of 449,500. It has five townships and seven towns under its jurisdiction, the county seat is Kaiyun Town (开云镇). Hengdong County is a county located in the east of Hengyang prefecture-level city, Hunan province, China. It was established from the eastern part of Hengshan County in 1966 and named after the east of Mount Heng. The county has an area of 1,926.78 km2 (743.93 sq mi) with a population of 746,300. The county of Hengdong has two townships and 15 towns under its jurisdiction, its seat is Mishui Town (洣水镇). Chengbu Miao Autonomous County, usually referred to as Chengbu County or abbreviated just as Chengbu, is an autonomous county of Miao people in the Province of Hunan, China, it is under the administration of Shaoyang City. Hengyang Nanyue Airport is an airport serving the city of Hengyang in Hunan province, China. Located in Yunji Town, Hengnan County, the airport is named after Mount Heng, also known as Nanyue. It replaced the old Bajialing Airport, which was shut down in 1995. Construction of the airport started on 7 January 2012 with a total investment of 656 million yuan, and the airport was opened on 23 December 2014, with an inaugural flight from Beijing Nanyuan Airport. Jingang Town is a rural town in Liuyang City, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China. As of the 2015 census it had a population of 64,000 and an area of 79.88-square-kilometre (30.84 sq mi). The town is bordered to the north and west by Dayao Town, to the east by Jinshan Town of Shangli County, to the south by Litian Town of Liling, and to the northeast by Chengtanjiang Town. Yangmingshan National Forest Park or National Forest Park of Mount Yangming is a national forest park located in northeastern Shuangpai County, Yongzhou, Hunan, China. It covers an area of 6,666,666.67-square-metre (71,759,402.8 sq ft). Located in the suburb of Yongzhou, it is bordered by Guilin on the South, Xiao River on the West, Mount Heng on the North, and Yongzhou on the East. Its main peak is 1,624.6-metre (5,330 ft) above sea level. Guangji Temple is a Buddhist temple located on the hillside of Mount Heng of Hengyang, Hunan, China. Zhusheng Temple is a Buddhist temple located at the foot of Mount Heng, in Nanyue District of Hengyang, Hunan, China. It was inscribed to the National Key Buddhist Temples in Han Chinese Area's list in 1983. Fuyan Temple is a Buddhist temple located on Mount Heng, in Nanyue District of Hengyang, Hunan, China. It has been designated as a National Key Buddhist Temple in Han Chinese Area in 1983. Shangfeng Temple is a Buddhist temple located on the top of Mount Heng, in Nanyue District of Hengyang, Hunan, China. It was inscribed to the National Key Buddhist Temples in Han Chinese Area's list in 1983.Climate data for Mount Heng, elevation 1,266 m (4,154 ft), (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1981–2010) Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high °C (°F) 17.5
(63.5)21.5
(70.7)26.3
(79.3)26.8
(80.2)27.0
(80.6)28.6
(83.5)30.1
(86.2)31.3
(88.3)28.0
(82.4)27.9
(82.2)24.3
(75.7)18.3
(64.9)31.3
(88.3)Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 4.0
(39.2)6.5
(43.7)10.3
(50.5)16.0
(60.8)19.8
(67.6)22.4
(72.3)24.8
(76.6)24.2
(75.6)21.0
(69.8)16.5
(61.7)12.2
(54.0)6.6
(43.9)15.4
(59.6)Daily mean °C (°F) 0.7
(33.3)3.1
(37.6)6.8
(44.2)12.5
(54.5)16.5
(61.7)19.6
(67.3)21.7
(71.1)21.0
(69.8)17.7
(63.9)13.0
(55.4)8.5
(47.3)3.0
(37.4)12.0
(53.6)Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −1.9
(28.6)0.3
(32.5)4.0
(39.2)9.5
(49.1)13.9
(57.0)17.5
(63.5)19.6
(67.3)19.0
(66.2)15.5
(59.9)10.6
(51.1)5.7
(42.3)0.3
(32.5)9.5
(49.1)Record low °C (°F) −15.2
(4.6)−11.3
(11.7)−8.8
(16.2)−3.4
(25.9)2.9
(37.2)5.7
(42.3)12.3
(54.1)10.7
(51.3)6.0
(42.8)−3.5
(25.7)−11.0
(12.2)−14.7
(5.5)−15.2
(4.6)Average precipitation mm (inches) 86.4
(3.40)99.3
(3.91)189.9
(7.48)205.1
(8.07)264.0
(10.39)273.1
(10.75)204.3
(8.04)224.2
(8.83)175.9
(6.93)117.1
(4.61)109.6
(4.31)75.1
(2.96)2,024
(79.68)Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 16.7 16.0 20.3 19.3 18.7 17.5 12.8 16.2 13.6 13.4 12.5 13.1 190.1 Average snowy days 6.4 4.9 1.4 0.3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.5 3.2 16.7 Average relative humidity (%) 84 86 87 86 87 92 89 91 89 84 78 76 86 Mean monthly sunshine hours 82.4 73.5 76.7 104.1 122.9 115.7 200.6 149.6 135.1 137.4 133.5 122.5 1,454 Percent possible sunshine 25 23 21 27 29 28 48 37 37 39 42 38 33 Source: China Meteorological Administration [2] [3] Vegetation
Fauna
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