武当山Wudang Mountain

A group of photos of "Sister Wudang"(武当妹妹wǔ dāng mèi mèi) went viral online. The photos show Zhang Lijuan practices martial arts and plays Guzheng, a traditional plucked-string musical instrument, at the Changchun Daoist Temple in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province, Dec 4, 2014.

Zhang, born in Jishou, Hushou, Hunan province, became fascinated with martial arts at an early age. In 2007, she got enrolled at the Wudang Taoist Kung Fu Academy. She made a sensation in 2009 when her photos were published online and won the name of "Sister Wudang".

Wudang and Shaolin(少林shào lín ) are considered as the two main sects of Chinese martial arts.

Wudang Mountain 武当山 wǔ dāng shān

Located in the northwest of Hubei Province, Wudangshan Mountain covers an area of more than 30 square kilometers. Wudangshan has 72 peaks with steep valleys and beautiful scenery. The main peak, Tianzhu Peak (Heaven Column), is 1,612 meters above sea level.

Wudangshan is known as a sacred mountain of the Taoism(道教 dào jiào). Famous Taoist masters in history used to reside here. It was as early as the Tang Dynasty (618-907) that people built the Five Dragon Temple. In the following dynasties, the buildings on the mountain were expanded. There are now 36 palace halls, which were built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). These buildings are the largest existing Taoist complexes, in which various sculptures, scriptures and Taoist items are of high cultural and artistic value.

Wudang chuan (武当拳 wǔ dāng quán) translates as "Wudang fist." wheras Shaolin includes many martial art styles, Wudangchuan includes only a few arts that utilize the focused mind to control the waist.

At the first national martial arts tournament organized by the Central Guoshu Institute in 1928, participants were separated into practitioners of Shaolin and Wudang styles. Styles considered to belong to the latter group - called Wudang chuan - are those with a strong element of Taoist neidan exercises. Typical examples of Wudang chuan are Taiji chuan(太极拳tài jí quán), Xing Yi chuan and Baguazhang. According to legend, Taiji chuan was created by the Taoist hermit Zhang Sanfeng, who lived in the Wudang Mountains.