Mt. Kong Tong
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Kong Tong Shan is a vast mountain with several peaks and valleys populated since the Qin dynasty (third century B.C.) by small temples, a few Buddhist but mostly Taoist. It is near the small city of PingLiang, about four hours' bus ride from Lanzhou. After an hour's search to re-find this great article about Kong Tong Shan which I'd read before my visit , I found it here. (From the parking lot, it's a 1,000-meter climb to the peak in this photo.)
A comment about Kong Tong Shan found on TripAdvisor: "Was a long walk up which wasn't worth it as the view wasn't green as I expected." This person must have missed all the centuries-old temples looking for green.
Whoever is responsible for administration of this mountain with all its temples has to be congratulated and thanked on a marvelous job of conservation. The buildings are well-maintained but retain their feeling of venerable age. Apparently no modern synthetic materials are used; all the building materials are natural. And the temples are not mere outdoor museum pieces--they are all populated and being used for their original purpose.
FaLunSi (Buddhist Law Wheel Temple), the biggest Buddhist temple at Mt. KongTong.
Sorry, I can't explain the tree at the top.
The walk back down is pretty, but ask yourself again whether your knees will survive the relentlessly steep 1,000-meter descent. Start down early enough, so you can enjoy the walk and then drop in at the old Buddhist temple at the foot of the mountain, and catch the last bus around 5:00.
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