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Sacred Mountains in China

Tim Oakes
Department of Geography
University of Colorado at Boulder

The Spiritual Landscape of Sacred Mountains in China

This talk will explore the sacred mountains of China and their relationship to traditional Chinese cosmology. Chinese culture has always held a special place for mountains, and mountains are regarded as one of the most spiritually significant features of landscape in China. Although Chinese territory currently encompasses the high central Asian peaks of Tibet and Xinjiang, the talk will not cover these realms, but will instead focus on the traditional sacred peaks of eastern China. These peaks are not only significant in terms of Daoist and Buddhist spirituality, but also played a role in establishing the legitimacy of empire and the emperor's "mandate of heaven."