Mt. Songshan that is composed of Taishi Mountain and Shaoshi Mountain is a part of the Funiu Mountains with its main body lying in the northwest of Dengfeng County, Henan Province. It extends about 60 kilometers from east to west. It was called Songgao and Chongshan in the Xia Dynasty (about 21st century-16th century B.C.), Songgao in the Shang Dynasty (about 16th century-11th century B.C.) and Yueshan in the Western Zhou Dynasty (about 11th century-771 B.C.). Songgao was taken as the central Lofty of the Five Sacred Mountains in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770-256 B.C.). The mountain was called Mt. Songshan the Central Lofty Mountain after the Five Dynasties (907-960) . The other four sacred mountains are Mt. Taishan in Shandong, Mt. Huashan in Shanxi, Mt. Hengshan in Shanxi and Mt. Hengshan in Hunan . On Mt. Songshan, there are undulating hills and steep peaks. In history the 72 peaks of the mountain were named according to their locations and shapes and the ruins of celebrities, such as the sun, the moon, jade pillar, phoenix, lion and white deer.

Zhongyue Temple in the Zhongyue Scenic Area carries a similar, if not more remarkable, historical pedigree. Dating all the way back to the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), it is one of the oldest Taoist temples in China and is largely regarded as the most well-preserved ancient building among any on the Five Great Mountains. However, the scenic area is also home to two lesser-known delights: the Luya Waterfall and the Gaocheng Astronomical Observatory. The Astronomical Observatory was originally built by the astronomer Guo Shoujing during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) and, at the stately age of 700 years, it is the oldest of its kind in China. It serves as living proof that, even in ancient times, people would still look to the stars for guidance!