The ancient name of Panshan Mountain was Xuwu Mountain. Panshan Mountain is sinuous and tortuous, has no fixed direction and its form looks like a dragon, so it is also known as Panlong Mountain (coiling dragon mountain). It is located in the north of Guanzhuang Town, Jixian County, Tianjin City, and 12.5 kilometers northwest to the town. It is one of the southern branches of Yanshan Mountains. The average height of Panshan Mountain is 400 to 600 meters above sea level.   

The highest peak Guayue Peak with an area of about 20 square meters is 864.4 meters above sea level, and its slope is more than 35°in general. Panshan County features a typical geographic characteristic of spherical weathering, with many craggy stones and steep peaks. The vegetation type mainly includes the coniferous forest of Chinese pines. Panshan Mountain is famous for its high mountains, deep valleys, oddly shaped stones and pines, crystal clear springs, beautiful trees, temples and ancient towers. It is reputed as the No. 1 Mountain in East Beijing and one of the 15 most famous mountains in China.

There are many sites in the area of Panshan Mountain, including the famous Three Spiral Positions (pine resort in the upper spiral position, stone resort in the middle spiral position and water resort in the lower spiral position), the Five Peaks (Guayue Peak, Zilai Peak, Zigai Peak, Jiuhua Peak and Wujian Peak) and the Eight Stones (Xuankong Stone, Yaodong Stone, Liangjia Stone, Jiangjun Stone, Jiamu Stone, Tianjing Stone, Hama Stone and Mang Stone), altogether four scenic spots and more than 30 views.

Tiancheng Temple, Yunzhao Temple and Wansong Temple

These temples are situated within the scenic spots of Panshan Mountain. The emperors of past dynasties cut the mountains and built temples in Panshan Mountain; they constructed more than 160 temples and towers, including the most famous 72 Buddhist temples and 13 exquisite pagodas. Most of them have not been repaired for many years and only the original foundations are extant now.     

 Tiancheng Temple

It is also known as the Fushan Temple. It was first built in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and expanded and repaired in the Liao Dynasty (916-1125), the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The main buildings include the Great Hall, the Side Hall, the Sanjian Hall, and the Jiangshan Yilan Pavilion, etc. The steleRecord of Touring the Panshan Mountainprepared according to the order of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty was erected in front of the eastern Side Hall of the Main Hall, and a gallery of over 40 meters long stands there too.

 Yunzhao Temple

The temple is 800 more meters above sea level and located near the apex of Panshan Mountain, so it is the temple with the highest elevation in the mountain. Since it is situated near the summit of the mountain and the clouds always cover the temple, so it is also known as the Yunzhao Temple (Cloud-covered temple). The temple was first built during the Tang Dynasty, and is composed of the Great Hall, the Side Hall, the Sutra-Keeping Hall and the Temple Gate, etc. Three golden Buddha statutes with a height of 4 meters are enshrined in the Main Hall, and the Thousand Buddha Niches are located on the four walls of the Main Hall, etc. The eastern part of the Yunzhao Temple relies against the Guayue Peak (the highest peak of Panshan Mountain) on which the Dagoba of Dingguang Buddha is standing upright.

 Wansong Temple

The Wansong Temple is the largest temple in Panshan Mountain. Since the famous senior general Li Jing of the early Tang Dynasty once lived here, it was known as the Li Jing Temple before the Qing Dynasty. The time when it was first built is unknown, but it was repaired during the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty. Since there were many ancient pines around the temple, Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty granted a tablet to call it as the Wansong Temple (ten-thousand-pine temple).