Mount Song

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Mount Song, known in Chinese as Songshan (Simplified Chinese: 嵩山; Pinyin: Sōngshān), is one of the Five Sacred Mountains of China and is located in Henan province on the south bank of the yellow river. Its summit is 1, 500 meters above sea level. The nearby Shaolin Temple is the birthplace of Zen Buddhism, and even today the temple's collection of stupas is the largest in China. The Zhongyue Temple is also located here, one of the earliest Taoist temples in the country. The Songyang Academy nearby was one of the four great academies of ancient China. The mountain and its vicinity are populated with Taoist and especially Buddhist monasteries. The Chan Buddhist Shaolin temple of Chinese martial arts fame is located near Songshan.