Xianjiu and the Taoist mountains of Shenxianju

Last Updated on 27 November 2025 by Cycloscope

Shenxianju Travel Guide

One of the Best National Parks in Zhejiang Province

Near Hangzhou and Shanghai

Shenxianju National Park, also known as Jingxing Xianju Cliffs Scenic Area, is one of the most impressive in Zhejiang and Eastern China, and an absolute must-visit attraction if you live in or are traveling through Hangzhou, Shanghai, or anywhere else in Zhejiang province.

These are the kind of peaks China is famous for, similar to those in Zhangjiajie, which inspired the movie Avatar’s scenery.

The place is absolutely thrilling, but maybe not suited for everyone; the vertiginous heights of balconies and platforms may be too much for those prone to panic attacks. If that’s not the case, start planning your visit to this place right now; you won’t regret it.

This post is part of our weekend getaways from Shanghai or Hangzhou, a collection of great off-the-beaten-path spots in Zhejiang and Jiangsu.

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Xianju Travel Guide

Xianju

Xianju city looks really ugly; it seems like a modern settlement built to gather people scattered across the area.

We didn’t look so profoundly, but we haven’t seen any old part of the city, whether destroyed or never existed, we don’t know.

The only notable thing is a small park along the river, where bamboo rafts were parked; you can probably hire them for a river trip.

There’s really no reason to stay in Xianju, the lovely places are all further south, we advise you to book your accommodation in Baitazhen, that’s what we did.

Baitazhen

Baitazhen is a small village that is quickly being transformed into a tourist resort due to its proximity to the Shenxianju National Park and the surrounding mountainous environment. It still has the atmosphere of a rundown countryside town, with few dining options but quite a few hotels; they all seem to accept foreigners.

Going towards the south entrance of the Shenxianjiu Scenic Area, just a few kilometers from the town center, lies the old village, where the traditional dry-walled houses and rural lifestyle are found, a leap into the past.

Weiqiang Brook

South of Baitazhen, along the west side of the Jingxing Xianju Cliffs (Shenxianju), runs the Bailong line, a road that follows the Weiqiang River. A lot of nice bathing spots can be found here, deep and wide ponds where you can swim freely and even dive from the rocks. The more secluded Danzhu area is on the Youxi Brook, a tributary of the Weiqiang.

Around this area are a few tiny settlements with a few hotels; they look like amazing places to spend time if the weather is warm. You’ll go down from your room and jump into the river, besides having an astounding view of the Shenxianju cliffs. You can book these hotels on Ctrip.

Shenxianju Scenic Area – the ascent

The national park comprising the Taoist mountain of Shenxianju has two entrances. The north one is situated 5 kilometers from the village of Baitazhen, and coaches depart constantly from the Baitazhen bus station. The south entrance is further away, around 15km from Baitazhen. Most people enter from the north side and exit from the south. There is a shuttle service that will bring you back to the parking lot for free.

Two cableways can bring you up or down from both the north and south entrances, avoiding the steep and long ascent, but also depriving you of the satisfaction of having made it on your own.

The north entrance leads to a flat path, about 1km long, where the scenery starts to unfold in all its magnificent beauty. Done that, you’ll face the choice: take the cableway up or climb the mountain yourself. Of course, we advise the latter.

Just beside the ropeway gates is the first and most spectacular of the many waterfalls you’re going to see during this climb; the water plunges vertically from a height of about 50m. However, during the dry season (autumn and early winter), there might be no water at all.

Here the ascent begins, and it is no joke. We were impressed to see older men and women in their 70s and beyond going up the steep stairs at a slow, steady pace, smiling. Impressive also is the sight of ladies climbing in high heels, while we would beg to have some really good hiking boots.

The ascent takes from 90 minutes to 2 and a half hours and is goddamn tiring, although the many waterfalls, the fast river, and, above all, the stunning peaks make it a pleasure to endure the fatigue. Most of it, though, is shaded and made of steps; there are a few restoration points where to buy water.

I was just very sad to see so many Chinese tourists littering everywhere, even though there are trash bins every 200m. Most of the garbage is collected by the park workers, but some ends up spoiling the magic of this sacred place.

The Top of the Taoist Mountain

At the top, the path divides into three sections: a major rest stop in the middle, a restaurant, and more. From here, two loops go around these peaks and lead to the south side.

The weather was very foggy and we couldn’t see absolutely anything. Luckily, after eating two boiled eggs and a yogurt, the sky cleared a bit, allowing us to enjoy the spectacular view, or at least some of it. In a kind of way, the fog made everything even more mystical than it already was.

Worried we wouldn’t have time to explore it all, we headed straight to the south side. The path is a concrete suspended platform for almost the entire length.

There are a lot of pinnacles of the weirdest shapes, the Chinese saw something in each of them, and they tell you: the sleeping beauty, the Buddha, the general, and so on… We could recognize only some of it; maybe it requires being more visionary, or the use of opium.

The bridge above everything and the legs-wiggling platforms

What we could call the north and south sides are connected by a suspended bridge made of ropes and wood. The bridge is hundreds of meters high and about 200m long. Elena was stoned and crossed in a rush, trembling when she reached the other side. I must admit it shook me a little bit, too. But the scariest part has yet to come.

It’s on this side of the mountain that the most dramatic views unfold; the peaks are so vertical, torn apart from each other as if cut with a giant ax. Barren and majestic, they brought me on a somewhat different plan of my existence.

Here, the walkways are even more hallucinating, protruding into green the void of the valley below. There are also some platforms made of iron rods, as shown below. Here, my legs wiggled; Elena didn’t even set foot on those.

The way down

The cableway here is really worth it. Going down with it, you could have more time to explore the whole park. Too bad it was out of service when we arrived, so we had to descend on foot. It took us about 90 minutes, and it was way worse than going up; our ankles and knees cried all the way down.

The scenery is also less spectacular, being for the most part in the woods. An endless series of steep steps leads to the south exit (or entrance, if you prefer), where the shuttle awaited to bring us back to the parking lot.

Shenxianju Fees and opening times

Access to this marvel doesn’t come cheap. In China, you pay for everything, and if it’s good, you pay more. The ticket costs 125RMB, while the cableway costs 55RMB for the way up and 45RMB for the way down, a whole lot of money overall.

Opening times are 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., while the last shuttle bus should leave at 5 p.m. on weekdays and 6 p.m. on holidays and weekends, or at least that’s what we understood.

Getting to Xianju

Unfortunately, getting to Shenxianju was not easy at all; we rode a motorbike from Linhai (the road is wide and a bit boring).

From Taizhou:

There is bus transportation from Taizhou to Xianju; take it at the Taizhou Luqiao Bus Station and get off at Xianju. The first bus is at 08:10 while the last is at 16:45. The buses depart every 40~60 minutes. The bus fee is CNY 32.

They also depart from Taizhou Huangyan Bus Station. The first bus is at 09:00 while the last is at 17:10. The buses leave every 40~60 minutes for about CNY 30.

From Hangzhou or Shanghai:

Take the fast train to Taizhou and then follow the above. Otherwise, you could take the train to Linhai and then take a bus (we haven’t found any information online), or hire a taxi; it shouldn’t cost more than 150RMB to Xianju.

From Xianju or Baitazhen:

Then take the bus to Shenxianju Scenic Area from the local bus station. The fee is 10RMB for the bus from Xianju to Shenxianju Scenic Area. There are 6~7 buses each day. If you miss the buses, you can take a taxi, which costs about CNY 80.

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