Qingcheng Mountain: choose temples or a Back Mountain walk
Choose a Qingcheng visit from Chengdu: compare temples and forest walks, entry and extra costs, station transfers and rain-related access precautions.
Contents
- 1. Front Mountain or Back Mountain?
- 2. Admission and the extras you actually need
- 3. Getting there: the station is not the mountain entrance
- 4. Temple heritage without confusing the sites
- 5. Opening hours, sales deadlines and lift operation differ
- 6. Rain is an access question, not just a footwear issue
- 7. Build a workable Chengdu outing
- 8. Sources and background
- 9. Frequently Asked Questions
Qingcheng Mountain near Chengdu gives you two different outings. Choose Front Mountain, 青城前山, for Taoist temples tucked into the forest, or Back Mountain, 青城后山, for a longer walk through streams and woods around the Tai'an area. Decide which you want before you buy a ticket and plan the transfer: the two areas have different entrances and are not one continuous route.
For a first visit built around temples, go to Front Mountain and leave time for steps, stops and the way back. For a hiking day, pick a Back Mountain loop that is open and suits your fitness. Do not turn the mountain plus Dujiangyan into an automatic one-day plan.
Front Mountain or Back Mountain?
| Choice | Main purpose | Planning consequence |
|---|---|---|
| Front Mountain | Taoist temples, including Tianshi Cave and Shangqing Palace | Choose the temples you want; a cable car does not remove all walking |
| Back Mountain | Forest, streams and landscape walks from the Tai'an area | Select a specific loop, check which paths are open and plan your return |
| Qingcheng plus Dujiangyan | Two contrasting parts of a World Heritage property | Each has its own entrance, so allow a transfer or split the outings over two days |
The two areas have separate locations and admission prices. Suggested Front Mountain routes take about 3.5 hours (the easy route) or 5.5 hours (the big loop). Back Mountain loops take about 4, 5.5 or 6.5 hours.[1] Add station access, ticket checks, queues and your return journey.
Save the Chinese names on your phone. Asking a driver for Qingchengshan without saying Front Mountain or Back Mountain can send you to the wrong gate. A short temple visit is a perfectly good choice; a long forest loop is not better just because it covers more ground.
Things to Do
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GetYourGuide partner offers. GoAsia may earn a commission if you book through these offers. Check whether tickets or transfers are included, and follow the attraction's official booking and admission rules.
Admission and the extras you actually need
| Item | Published price | Confirm before paying |
|---|---|---|
| Front Mountain admission | CNY 80 per adult[2] | Visit date and visitor category |
| Back Mountain admission | CNY 20 per person[1] | Whether the area is open and the ticket conditions |
| Front Mountain sightseeing vehicle | CNY 10 one way[1] | Boarding point and the service on your date |
| Boat, cable car, porter-carried chair and guide | Not included in Front Mountain admission[2] | Separate prices and whether a package includes them |
A Front Mountain ticket does not include Back Mountain or Dujiangyan. Check the named place and included services on the official booking page, and decide how much you want to walk before you pay for every optional vehicle.
Students pay CNY 40, children aged 6 and under or shorter than 1.3 m enter free, children aged 6 to 18 pay half, and visitors aged 65 and over enter free. Foreign full-time students up to bachelor level pay half price with valid ID. Foreign visitors buy with a passport or foreign residence document and go through the manual ticket-checking channel. Bring the original document you booked with.[2]
Getting there: the station is not the mountain entrance
Take Chengdu Metro Line 2 or 6 to Xipu, 犀浦, then change to the intercity train to Qingchengshan, 青城山.[1] Look up the departure station, date, fare and available train on China Railway 12306. Add the trip from your accommodation and the transfer at the other end to the train time.
For Front Mountain, take bus 101 from the station and get off at 青城山景区, then walk two minutes to the sightseeing-vehicle boarding area. For Back Mountain, a tourist shuttle leaves at intervals from the bus platform at the station; check the time of the last departure.[1] The two approaches are not interchangeable.
Railway tickets are real-name tickets. Foreign visitors can buy with a valid passport, and you show the same ID document to enter the station and board the train.[3] During busy periods, secure both the outward and return journey before you commit to a long walk.
Temple heritage without confusing the sites
Mount Qingcheng is where, in 142 CE, the philosopher Zhang Ling founded the doctrine of Chinese Taoism. UNESCO lists the mountain together with the Dujiangyan irrigation system, which still waters the Chengdu plains.[4] The shared listing does not mean a shared ticket or a short hop between the two.
The main sights of Front Mountain are Jianfu Palace, Tianshi Cave, Shangqing Palace, Laojun Pavilion and Yuecheng Lake.[5] Use those names to plan a route rather than treating the area as one summit climb. Leave time for the temple courtyards, follow the rules around worship and photography, and do not block doorways.
Dujiangyan offers a different story: river management and irrigation rather than temples. If both appeal, plan a transfer and a walking margin for each. Two days give you a calmer pace if you want a substantial mountain route. If you only have one day, choose a few sights and check the entry deadlines.
Opening hours, sales deadlines and lift operation differ
From 1 April to 31 October Front Mountain opens at 08:00, entry stops at 17:30 and same-day tickets stop selling at 17:00.[1] In other seasons it opens at 08:30 and closes at 17:00.[2] Back Mountain opens 08:00 to 18:00 in summer.[1]
An entry deadline is not a cable-car deadline, a shuttle departure or enough time to finish a loop. Start from a realistic return plan, and ask when the services and paths you want to use stop running.
Rain is an access question, not just a footwear issue
The official guide says: do not go into the mountain when it rains.[1] After heavy rain in August 2026, Back Mountain closed from 16 August, to reopen once the geological-hazard warning was lifted and a full safety assessment was done.[6] Closures like this can happen again.
Check the weather and current announcements before you leave Chengdu. A sold ticket or a summer route description does not mean a gorge path, bridge, boat or cable car is open. If staff close a path, change your route instead of crossing a barrier. The tourism hotline is 028-96526, and the Back Mountain notice also gives 028-60965355.[6]
Expect steps and bring shoes with grip, water and weather protection. A cable-car ride does not give you a step-free route to every temple, so ask about the whole route if mobility is limited.
Build a workable Chengdu outing
Before you book, settle five things: which mountain area, which route, which ticket, how you get to the station, and how you return before the services you need stop. Keep lifts, boats, guides and food separate from entrance costs so your budget matches the trip you plan.
Use the China travel overview for the wider journey. At Qingcheng, one well-chosen temple walk or open forest route with a confirmed return beats squeezing in every nearby attraction.
Sources and background
Numbers in the text such as [1] refer to these sources.
- [1] Dujiangyan Tourism Portal: Official seasonal guide: Front Mountain, Back Mountain, access and reference walking routes. Retrieved October 26, 2026.
- [2] Dujiangyan Tourism Portal: Official booking information: admission exclusions, passport access and operating periods. Retrieved October 26, 2026.
- [3] China Railway 12306: China Railway FAQ: real-name tickets, foreign passports and e-ticket check-in. Retrieved October 22, 2026.
- [4] UNESCO World Heritage Centre: UNESCO: Mount Qingcheng, Taoist temples and the Dujiangyan heritage property. Retrieved October 22, 2026.
- [5] Chengdu Municipal Government: Chengdu city visitor information: Qingcheng Mountain and its principal sights. Retrieved October 22, 2026.
- [6] Chengdu Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism: Dated rain-related Back Mountain closure and visitor safety advisory. Retrieved October 22, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Choose Front Mountain for Taoist temples and cultural history, or an open Back Mountain route for streams and forest scenery. They have separate locations and admission prices. Pick one as your main activity rather than assuming one ticket covers both.
Front Mountain costs CNY 80 per adult and Back Mountain CNY 20 per person. A sightseeing vehicle on Front Mountain costs CNY 10 one way. Boat, cable car, porter-carried chair and guide are extra.
Take Metro Line 2 or 6 to Xipu, then the intercity train to Qingchengshan. For Front Mountain, continue by bus 101 to the Qingchengshan scenic area stop. For Back Mountain, a tourist shuttle leaves from the bus platform at the station. Check the last return before you set out.
Front Mountain routes take about 3.5 or 5.5 hours, and Back Mountain loops about 4, 5.5 or 6.5 hours. Add transport, ticket checks, queues and breaks, and turn back earlier if your pace or the service deadlines require it.
The official guide advises against going into the mountain in rain, and Back Mountain closed in August 2026 after heavy rain. Check current alerts and obey closures. A ticket does not guarantee that a lift, bridge or gorge path is running.
Only with a limited plan: each has its own entrance, ticket and deadlines, and you need a transfer between them. Two days suit a substantial mountain route and an unhurried Dujiangyan visit.
