Map of Wutaishan

This panoramic view of the sacred mountain Wutaishan (“Five-Terrace Mountain”) is a six-foot-wide woodblock print on cloth that has been hand colored. There are eleven surviving prints of this map that have been identified around the world. The map was made on Wutaishan in 1846 by a Mongolian monk at a local Mongolian monastery, Cifusi (Chamgeling) (map no. 21). Construction of Cifusi was completed in 1829; therefore, this map was made shortly after the monastery wasfounded, and, as Cifusi is placed near the center of the image, it literally puts this new temple on the map, establishing it in a position of authority. Cifusi became the main lodging for Mongolian monks visiting the mountain.

Winding paths with tiny travelers link one temple to another, suggesting possible itineraries of pilgrimage. Pilgrims traveled this sacred mountain to see divine visions, which took the form of miraculous light and cloud formations, a ubiquitous presence on this map. The most prominent monastery, which appears much larger than the others (map no. 14) is Pusading (Bodhisattva Peak). A masked dance procession, the focus of ritual activity on the mountain, leads from the monastery down the center of the map. This temple was converted into a Manchu imperial establishment shortly after the Qing dynasty was founded in the mid-seventeenth century, denoted by its bright yellow roof.