A place to begin.
Still Mountain brings together residential martial arts, Daoist arts, meditation and temple life for visitors who want time to participate. You contact and make arrangements with each host directly.
Look closer. Stay curious.
Mountains and monasteries can draw us in. Daily practice gives a stay its substance: the teacher, the routine, the people and the time you commit. We aim to make those details easier to discover without promising spiritual transformation.
How we choose
We look for a named host, a real place, a description of the practice and evidence of residential participation. We distinguish temple programmes from independent schools and commercial retreats. Historical notices and uncertain leads remain visible in the broader research register.
Read the method and coverageIndependence & privacy
Still Mountain is an editorial directory. This edition has no paid placements, booking commissions, payments, visitor accounts or tracking analytics. Search filters stay in the page address so you can copy a particular view. External websites have their own services and policies.
Photography
Photographs show the named venue, its campus, or its own teaching and daily life. Captions identify programme and archive images where relevant. General landscapes appear on editorial and section pages. Photos are resized and cropped to fit the page; colour overlays are part of the layout. Each credit links to the source publisher. Open licences are linked where supplied by the source; other photographs remain credited to their original publishers.
Wudang Mountains, Hubei — regional context
Xiquinho Silva (xiquinhosilva) · CC BY 2.0
Purple Cloud Temple, Wudang Mountains — regional context
gongfu_king · CC BY-SA 2.0
Shaolin Monastery, Dengfeng — regional context
Don-kun · CC BY-SA 3.0
Cangshan, Dali — regional context
Martin Moscosa · CC BY 2.0
Ciyun Pavilion, Mount Qingcheng — regional context
4084470 0.smil · CC0 1.0
Baoguo Temple, Mount Emei — regional context
Gisling (唐戈) · CC BY-SA 3.0
Longjing tea fields, Meijiawu, Hangzhou
Peter K Burian · CC BY-SA 4.0
Lotus Pond Temple, Lantau Island, Hong Kong
Jnzl's Photos · CC BY 2.0
Dharma Drum Mountain World Center, Jinshan, Taiwan
晨星 飛鳥 · CC BY-SA 2.0
Mount Ni, Qufu — regional cultural context
Rolfmueller · CC BY-SA 3.0
Yulong village, Yangshuo
Chensiyuan · CC BY-SA 4.0
Qixia Temple, Nanjing
Leiem · CC BY-SA 4.0
Kunyu Mountains, Yantai
Mguy379 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Bailin Chan Monastery, Zhaoxian
wanghongliu · CC BY-SA 3.0
Longquan Monastery, Haidian, Beijing
N509FZ · CC BY-SA 4.0
Guoqing Temple, Tiantai
Siyuwj · CC BY-SA 4.0
Donglin Temple, Lushan, Jiujiang
清水五月 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Shuanggui Tang, Liangping
chp13579753 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Huangbo Mountain Wanfu Temple, Fuqing
おきゃく · CC BY 4.0
Mount Huangshan, Anhui
Chi King · CC BY 2.0
Huangshizhai, Wulingyuan, Zhangjiajie
chensiyuan · CC BY-SA 4.0
Nanhua Temple, Shaoguan
CenkX · Public domain
Temples of Mount Wutai, Shanxi
Popolon · CC BY-SA 4.0
Medicine Buddha Hall, Lingyin Temple, Hangzhou
Tyg728 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Fo Guang Shan main shrine
Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 3.0
Chung Tai Chan Monastery, Puli
Ken Marshall · CC BY 2.0
Nung Chan Monastery and Water-Moon Pool, Taipei
Yu tptw · CC BY-SA 4.0
Ling Jiou Mountain Wusheng Monastery
ఁ chc · CC BY 2.0
Mountains seen from Luye, Taitung County
Lord Koxinga · CC BY-SA 3.0
Skylight Atrium at Jao Tsung-I Academy, Hong Kong
Malcolm Koo · CC BY-SA 4.0
Southern Lantau Island seen from Lantau Peak
leo.wan · CC BY 2.0
Mountain landscape in Hualien County
Ken Marshall · CC BY 2.0
Fongchueisha coast, Kenting National Park
WEI, WAN-CHEN（魏琬臻） · CC BY-SA 4.0
Pou Tai Monastery, Taipa
Abasaa（あばさー） · Public domain
Nanshan Temple, Sanya
Jazon88 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Fanjingshan, Guizhou
sizzhot0 · CC0 1.0
Qinghai Lake
Sergio Tittarini from Shanghai, China · CC BY 2.0
Qianshan, Liaoning
Abysmal · Public domain
Confucian Temple, Jilin City
H2v5o68z · CC0 1.0
Jile Temple, Harbin
朕邦萬広 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Dabei Monastery, Tianjin
Niklas Dougherty · CC BY-SA 4.0
Gu Guanyin Temple, Xi’an
Liuxingy · CC BY-SA 4.0
Yangshuo Traditional Tai Chi School entrance.
Yangshuo Traditional Tai Chi School
Outdoor practice at Wudang Daoist Traditional Kungfu Academy.
Wudang Daoist Traditional Kungfu Academy
The school at Wudang Taoist Wellness Academy.
Wudang Taoist Wellness Academy
Seven Star Academy in the Wudang mountains.
Seven Star Academy
A shared meal at Wudang Pure Yang Kung Fu Academy.
Wudang Pure Yang Kung Fu Academy
Meditation hall at Yuan Limin’s Wudang school.
Master Yuan Limin
Chen Xi Jing leading outdoor practice.
Wudang Tai Chi Kung Fu School
Morning training at Xinglin Traditional Kung Fu Academy, Chengdu.
Xinglin Traditional Kung Fu Academy
Student accommodation shown by the Shaolin Wudang programme.
Wudang Jingwu Academy
The courtyard of Wuwei Temple, Dali.
Sin Destino Aparente
Training at Wudang Gong Fu and Health Academy, 2026.
Wudang Gong Fu and Health Academy
Outdoor training terraces at Wudang Shixing Taiji Daoist Academy.
Wudang Shixing Taiji Daoist Academy
A tai chi class at Long Tou Shan Tai Chi School.
Long Tou Shan Tai Chi School
Sanqing Hall at Duoyin Guan, Renshou, photographed in 2015.
Daoyin Culture
The courtyard of Xianguang Temple, Xiancheng Mountain, Suizhou.
Xianguang Temple / Tongling Tianxia
A red and gold school entrance between two campus wings.
Chenjiagou Tai Chi School
Students in red uniforms assemble in the academy courtyard.
International Shaolin Dragon Academy
Students practise martial-arts stances in a stone courtyard.
Shaolin Yongzhi Kung Fu School
A group in grey training clothes performs tai chi outdoors.
Maling Shaolin Kung Fu Academy
A teacher in orange and students practise on a mountain terrace.
Tianmeng Kung Fu Academy
Students sit cross-legged inside a temple hall with red columns.
Yu Kung Fu Academy
Students practise standing martial-arts movements on an outdoor court.
Shen Jiangfei Martial Arts Center
A retreat group poses with swords, spears and fans on broad temple steps.
Shaolin Temple — Shi Yanjun programme
Students practise balanced stances among wooden training poles.
Shaolin Temple — Shi Yanjun programme
Students in grey robes meditate beside wooden columns.
Shaolin Temple China / Shexian centre
Children and an instructor sit in a stone courtyard.
Gulun Kung Fu
Students practise in a green courtyard surrounded by white school buildings.
Shaolin Kung Fu Institut e.V.
A large academy group poses beneath flags in an indoor hall.
Kunyu Mountain Shaolin Martial Arts Academy
A martial-arts teacher observes a student practising against a mountain backdrop.
Shaolin Xinyiba Research Society
Participants sit in two rows inside a bright wooden-roofed hall.
Sunlunfan
A red temple hall and pale statue beside a pond and wooded hillside.
Sunlunfan / Sunlun Vipassana programme
Visitors gather at a stone temple gate beneath a Chan event banner.
Renmin University Institute for the Study of Buddhism and Religious Theory
A ceremonial procession enters temple grounds lined with banners.
佛教导航 (Fjdh.cn)
Students in light grey training clothes practise in a courtyard.
Shaolin Temple
Aerial view of Dhamma Mutta buildings surrounded by green hills.
Hong Kong Vipassana Meditation Centre
Dhamma Vikasa cottages below forested mountains.
Taiwan Vipassana Meditation Foundation
Monastery terrace overlooking green hills at Fa Hong.
Insight Dialogue Community
Gate marked Vipassana Center beside the Chiayi course building.
Taiwan Vipassana Meditation Foundation
Rows of meditation cushions inside the Guanyin Temple hall.
Taiwan Vipassana Meditation Foundation
Retreat participants practise together in a bright meditation hall.
Mahasati Taiwan
Low modern Yixin Temple meditation building under a blue sky.
Yixin Temple
Participants seated in rows in Yunji Temple's bright meditation hall.
Chen Huiling / Dharma Drum Mountain Tainan Branch
Farming Zen retreat participants stretch together in the practice hall.
Unlimited Lights Chinese Culture Academy
Students sit at tables for a Buddhist teaching session.
Unlimited Lights Chinese Culture Academy
Earlier Dhammodaya hall beside trees and a grassy path.
Taiwan Vipassana Meditation Foundation
Ziyun Temple buildings with the new tall Chan hall behind the older wing.
Dharma Drum Mountain Ziyun Temple
Xinxing Temple's columned entrance beside a broad green lawn.
Dharma Drum Mountain Xinxing Temple
Visitors gather at the modern entrance to Lanyang Branch.
Dharma Drum Mountain Zhaiming Temple
The college's main academic building across landscaped grounds.
Bliss and Wisdom Buddhist College
Yongshan Hall's glass and wood facade amid trees at Mabuville.
Mabuville
Regala Skycity Hotel foyer with escalators, dolphin sculptures and a staffed reception desk.
Regala Hotels
Lixing Chan Temple's curved building above trees.
Lixing Chan Temple
Brick-red Yunlai Centre buildings around an open plaza.
Xuanzang University
The Sha Tin Centre buildings among the trees at Ha Wo Che.
Underwaterbuffalo / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
White-clad retreat participants practise walking meditation at Leshan.
Yuandao Chan Monastery
Donghua Chan Monastery at sunset, from the monastery's own image collection.
Donghua Chan Monastery
Seated practice at Sihui Liuzu Temple, illustrated in its January 2025 retreat notice.
Liuzu Temple notice, republished by 51tltx
Wuling Chan Temple in mountain mist, pictured in its 2021 retreat announcement.
Dashengshan programme publisher
A group session at Xiqiao Mountain Baofeng Temple, pictured in its 2025 retreat notice.
Baofeng Temple notice, republished by 51tltx
Luhu Chan Temple's glass meditation hall, pictured in its May 2025 retreat notice.
Luhu Chan Temple notice, republished by 51tltx
A group outside Jiulong Temple in Huishui, pictured in a historical retreat announcement.
Phoenix Buddhist photography, republished by Fobao
Xu Lihui practices traditional exercises at Huangzhong Temple, as pictured by China Daily in 2026.
Provided to China Daily
Jiuxi Ancient Temple in Changsha, pictured in its May holiday tea-practice invitation.
Phoenix Buddhism / Jiuxi Ancient Temple
Beihai Chan Monastery's white stupa and grounds, pictured in the 2016 summer-camp invitation.
Beihai Chan Monastery, via Phoenix Buddhism
The approach to Maoshan Daoist Monastery, pictured in its June 2026 course announcement.
Maoshan Daoist Monastery
A Chan gathering at Tongjue Temple in Taicang, pictured in its winter retreat announcement.
Tongjue Temple, via Phoenix Buddhism
Baizhang Chan Temple courtyard, pictured in the temple's 2025 spring retreat notice.
Baizhang Chan Temple notice, republished by 51tltx
Jingju Temple on Qingyuan Mountain, pictured in its 2015 Chan-camp announcement.
Jingju Temple, via Phoenix Buddhism
Chan practice at Yunju Mountain's International Chan Institute, shown in its official practice archive.
Yunju Mountain Buddhist official website
Guanhai Temple's entrance in Dalian, pictured in its historical residential programme notice.
Phoenix Buddhist photography, republished by Fobao
Jiulian Ancient Temple in Jinzhou, Dalian, pictured in its 2021 autumn retreat notice.
Jiulian Ancient Temple, republished by Xinchanfeng
Boshan Zhengjue Temple in Zibo, pictured in a 2017 summer-camp guide.
Fobao summer-camp guide
Students training at Tancheng Chan Kung Fu School in a 2019 first-person review.
SMA bloggers
Pushou Temple's entrance sign on Mount Wutai, pictured in its 2014 summer-camp announcement.
Sina Buddhist news / Pushou Temple
Jianfu Guanyin Temple in Tianjin, pictured in the Beijing tourism portal's venue guide.
Visit Beijing tourism portal
Tianhu Lecture Temple in Wenzhou, pictured in its 2025 meditation-course notice.
Tianhu Lecture Temple notice, republished by 51tltx
Zhenningjing Temple in Qingtian, pictured in its 2024 youth-retreat invitation.
Hongyuan Zhiyin / Zhenningjing Temple, republished by Xinchanfeng
The meditation hall at Daling Shan Guanyin Temple, pictured in its May 2025 retreat invitation.
Daling Shan Guanyin Temple
Changlu Chongfu Temple in Nanjing, photographed for a local visitor guide.
517 Nongjiale venue guide
A New Year bell ceremony at Yanfu Temple in Qiandeng, pictured in its 2017 event retrospective.
Yanfu Temple, via Phoenix Buddhism
The Zhongdao Academy campus associated with Shengfo Temple in Jiaohe, pictured in its 2018 retreat notice.
Nanchuan Fofa / Shengfo Temple programme notice
Zijiao Chan Temple in Ningbo, photographed by a local visitor in October 2025.
Shanrenjie, Donglun / cnool.net
Group practice in the cave shrine at Tiantai Mountain Cien Temple, shown in a 2016 retreat account.
Tiantai Mountain Cien Temple
An outdoor group session at Dengci Chan Temple in Xiangshan, pictured in its 2025 retreat notice.
Dengci Chan Temple notice, republished by 51tltx
Fuyuan Chan Temple in Pinghu, pictured in its May 2025 retreat invitation.
Fuyuan Chan Temple notice, republished by 51tltx
Haicheng Dabei Monastery viewed across its landscaped approach, published in a 2018 report.
Liu Qingye / Anshan Buddhism, via Phoenix
The entrance to Lanfeng Temple in Suzhou, pictured in a 2022 local cultural feature.
Suzhou local culture feature, via The Paper
Qingyun Chan Temple near Yunju Mountain, photographed for its May 2016 retreat report.
Yunju Mountain Buddhist official website
Yangshan Qiyin Chan Temple in Yichun, pictured in a 2013 temple profile.
Sina Buddhist news
Yuntai Chan Temple in Jiashan, pictured in a 2012 temple profile.
Fojiao Daohang
A Daoist ceremony at Tongbai Palace in Tiantai, photographed in a historical event series.
Wu Wen (吾闻)
Huang Shan practising tai chi, from Taiji Zhe’s Dali teaching archive.
Taiji Zhe / Bai Lu
Puzhao Temple, Dujiangyan, photographed in 2013.
BODHICITTA · CC BY 2.0
The Drum Tower at Wenshu Monastery, Chengdu.
Daderot · CC0 1.0
Chen Shiyu practising sword — archive photograph.
Instituto Feng Huang
The entrance to Rising Dragon’s former China school.
Rising Dragon School
Manting Pagoda Temple, Menghan — photograph from the 2013 retreat notice.
Manting Pagoda Temple / ifeng Buddhism
Ciyun Pavilion at Sizu Temple, Huangmei, photographed in 2021.
Li Xingchen / Sizu Temple
Rows of students practise in the training centre’s outdoor square.
Shaolin Wushu International Training Centre
A teacher guides a student’s staff technique outdoors.
Qufu Shaolin Kung Fu School
Young students pose together with their teacher inside a room.
Shaolin Zen Academy / Shi Yanqin
Students gather around a table of shared dishes.
Shengjing Shan Traditional Kung Fu Academy
Participants sit in rows on cushions inside a temple meditation hall.
Futuo Temple, reproduced by 佛教导航 (Fjdh.cn)
Red temple gateway with ornate eaves, stone stairs and guardian lions.
释圣文化 / original photo hosted by 同程旅游 (40017.cn)
A narrow white hallway with lotus decoration, calligraphy and a potted plant.
Yiyin Academy; announcement republished by 大众创业研究院 on Sohu
A sculptural old tree stands in front of a temple hall.
古树复壮与植物保护, reproduced by 生态中国网
An aerial view of the temple complex amid forest and drifting cloud.
Hong Fang, supplied to The Paper; article by Gao Zihua
A long red temple wall and gate beneath leafy trees.
Fuzhou Changle District People’s Government
Weathered stone temple gateway beneath a blue sky.
Fuding Ziguo Temple
The entrance gate at Tiannan Temple bears its name above the passage.
Dharma Drum Mountain Tiannan Temple
Orange-tiled Main Buddha Hall at Xiangguang Temple.
Chinese Buddhist Temple Association
A monastic walks up the stairs of a traditional hall at Yuan Kuang Buddhist Institute.
Yuan Kuang Ch'an Monastery
Miaofeng Retreat House beside an engraved stone bearing the name 妙峰學舍.
Ye / Hiking Biji
Meditation cushions and an altar inside Pumen Meditation Centre.
Pumen Meditation Centre
Students practise together in the courtyard of an Emei Jingwu Kungfu Academy teaching site.
Emei Jingwu Kungfu Academy
Nanhua Temple in Qianxian, shown in its September 2021 retreat announcement.
Shaanxi Nanhua Temple; republished by Xinchanfeng
Feishan Chan Temple in Jingzhou, pictured in its named attraction guide.
Meet99 / 相约久久旅游网
A gate at Ruifeng Chan Temple, Xiaoshan, shown on its named visitor listing.
Ctrip; photographer not identified
The pond and entrance of Xianghai Chan Temple in Puyuan, Tongxiang, from a 2020 temple profile.
寺庙信息网 (Temple Information Network); original photographer not identified
Martial arts practice at Siping City Shaolin Martial Arts Academy, photographed during a student stay in January 2010.
Sascha; Shaolin life in China blog
Research edition · 12 September 2026