Riyue Mountain

Riyue Mountain is located in the intersection of Huangyuan County and Gonghe County in Qinghai Province, 100 kilometers away from the city center. It is also the boundary of agricultural area and pastoral area of Qinghai Province, with the average altitude of 4,000 meters high above the sea level.

Riyue Mountain was the only road to Tibet in history. In the first year (420 A.D.) during the reign of Emperor Ming in the North Wei Period (386 A.D.-534 A.D.), the achieved monk Song Yun went to India for Buddhist scriptures from Luoyang via Riyue Mountain. Princess Wencheng from the Tang Dynasty (618 A.D.-907 A.D.) also went to Tibet for peace- making marriage via Riyue Mountain. The mountain is called “the Curtain of Qinghai” and “the Window of the Plain” by the later generations owing to its important geographical location.
Many wonderful stories about the mountain have passed down since ancient times, and the story about Princess Wencheng is the most wonderful one. During her journey from Chang’an to Tibet for peace- making marriage, she had a rest at the foot of Riyue Mountain. When she climbed up the top of the Mountain, she took out of the mirror- Sun & Moon Mirror, reflecting the charming sceneries of Chang’an, so she missed her family in Chang’an very much. Out of bittersweet feeling, the mirror fell on the ground, broken into two pieces, so the mountain was called Riyue Mountain, which means the Sun & Moon Mountain. She couldn’t help crying when her hometown was blurred by the stretching mountains, and her tears were turned into a river- the Daotang (back flowing) River, flowing into west smoothly. Eventually, Princess Wencheng decided to go into Tibet bravely.

Two pavilions stand on the top of the opposite peaks on Riyue Mountain, which are called Sun Pavilion and Moon Pavilion respectively. The pavilions were built for the marriage of Princess Wencheng and the King of Tibet Songtsan Ganbu, delicately decorated by murals. There is a memorial monument in the Sun Pavilion, recording the great contribution of Princess Wencheng to the development of Tibet in many aspects, and the murals in the pavilion recreate the historical screen of “Princess Wencheng Getting into Tibet”, which are very grand in a vivid way. There is a “Boundary Monument between the Tang Dynasty and Tibet” and murals in the Moon Pavilion, among which the murals record the great contribution of Princess Wencheng to Tibet in culture dissemination. There is the statue of Princess Wencheng at the foot Riyue Mountain, and the Daotang River flows along the Riyue Mountain to the vast Qinghai Lake, which is filled with a deep sense of history.

Tips:

Address: located in 40 kilometers (25 miles) in the southwest of Huangyuan County, Qinghai
Bus: Visitors can take a coach to Huangyuan County firstly, and then take a bus to get there directly.
Opening hours: 8:30 am to 6:30 pm