WUHAN
Wuhan is a hub most travellers pass through rather than linger in. It is also the easiest gateway to two very different kinds of quiet: the Chan ancestral temples of Huangmei, an hour and a half east by train, and the Daoist Wudang Mountains, two to three hours north-west.
Wudang Mountains, Hubei Photo credits
Updated ·
Hankou reaches Wudangshan West in 2 h 10 min and Wuhan reaches Huangmei East in 1 h 20 min. Sizu Temple runs a free seven-week winter Chan retreat from 9 December for experienced practitioners who speak Mandarin. Wudang schools take students from one week, from about 4,600 to 7,350 yuan a week with room and meals; several teach with English. Ask each place about your dates.
Ask us about a stay near Wuhan| Place | Type | Getting there from Wuhan | Price | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sizu Temple | Chan Buddhist temple | Trains from Wuhan to Huangmei East take 1 h 20 min to 1 h 38 min, and from Hankou 2 h 03 min (9 trains on 10 November 2026). The temple’s visiting guide says a taxi from Huangmei East takes about 40 minutes for about 50 yuan; buses from four Wuhan stations take 2.5–3 hours for about 80 yuan. | Free: the 24th winter Chan retreat, 9 December 2026 to 29 January 2027, charges no fee and the temple provides the retreat clothing. Apply through the guest office (0713-3166309, WeChat szskt3166309) for the whole seven weeks or for blocks of weeks; room and meal details are not published. | Mandarin only. The notice is in Mandarin, asks for ages 18–65 with refuge taken and meditation experience, and names a PRC identity card; passport holders should ask the guest office first. |
| Place | Type | Getting there from Wuhan | Price | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wudang Taoist Wellness Academy | Daoist practice school | Trains from Hankou to Wudangshan West take 2 h 10 min to 2 h 52 min, from Wuhan 2 h 56 min to 3 h 32 min (12 trains on 10 November 2026). The academy’s FAQ says pickup from Wudangshan West or the airport is included in its fees and that the last bus into the mountains leaves at 17:00. | Study from one week: 6,000 CNY a week, 16,000 for four weeks, with room, meals and classes (the FAQ is marked “to be updated”). Ten-day English retreats on 18–28 May and 7–17 September 2027 cost EUR 1,800 in a shared room. | Master Gu teaches in English and gives two English lectures a week; English-speaking coaches teach the other classes. |
| Wudang Daoist Traditional Kungfu Academy | Wudang kung fu and tai chi school | The same trains to Wudangshan West; the academy says it is 25 minutes from the station and arranges pickup for about 100–120 yuan. Its travel page still quotes the Wuhan train at about 4 hours; 12306 shows 2 h 10 min from Hankou. | Short stays per day with room, three meals and training: a single room 1,050 yuan a day for one week, 720 for two weeks, 610 for three; a double 1,080, 750 and 640. A month in a single room 13,590 yuan. Deposit 300 EUR or USD. | English-speaking coaches and students help translate; teaching is mainly by demonstration and correction. |
| Wudang Tai Chi Kung Fu School, Master Chen Xijing | Daoist martial arts school in the Wudang scenic park | From Wudangshan West the school’s pickup to the park entrance costs 100 yuan (240 from Shiyan, 200 from the airport); the park gate closes at 17:00, and the scenic-area bus from the gate to the Nanyan area takes about an hour. | With three meals, training and a shared double room: one week 4,620 yuan, two weeks 8,400, one month 9,900, three months 29,100. A single room costs 70 yuan a day extra. | English support is stated by the school; confirm the translation arrangement for your dates. |
| Seven Star Academy, Master Bing | Daoist martial arts school | Master Bing arranges a taxi from the airport or a nearby station if you email your travel plans; the academy says it is about 35 minutes from Wudangshan Airport. Wudangshan West is not named on its pages, so ask. | Rooms with private or shared bathroom, meals included; the remaining 2026 class periods are 1–20 November and 1–20 December, and the academy asks for a month’s notice. Ask for a written quote. | Not stated; Master Bing answers by email and WeChat, and the school welcomes students from China and abroad. |
| Place | Type | Getting there from Wuhan | Price | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wudang Five Immortals Temple | Daoist temple with dated courses | On White Horse Mountain in Zhangwan District, Shiyan. The temple’s FAQ names Wudangshan Airport, or Wuhan and then a train on to Shiyan; it publishes no pickup, so ask how to reach the temple from Shiyan or Wudangshan West. | 2026 courses lived in the temple with food and lodging: 7-day courses 6,900 yuan; the last run of the year, Beginner Daoist Medicine on 9–23 November, 13,300 yuan. No 2027 schedule had been published by 6 November 2026. | Translation is offered for all teachings; the temple advises a basic foundation in Mandarin. |
A working Chan monastery famous for its hall of five hundred arhats. Under the Spring Festival 2026 notice reposted by the city account 武汉发布, tickets cost 10 yuan and are sold only through the temple’s WeChat account 武汉归元禅寺, free for visitors over 60 and holders of a refuge certificate. The temple’s website was under maintenance and no official daily opening hours could be read; confirm them before you go. Checked 6 November 2026.
A hillside temple on Hongshan with a Yuan-dynasty pagoda and the Wuchang Buddhist Academy. The temple’s own WeChat notice of 13 February 2026 sells time-slot tickets through the account 宝通禅寺 and gave Spring Festival hours of 07:00–16:00 on ordinary days of the holiday; everyday hours are not published there. Checked 6 November 2026.
Wuhan’s main Daoist temple, of the Quanzhen school, near Baotong Temple. The Spring Festival 2026 notice reposted by the district account 大成武昌 gave hours of 08:00–16:30 (07:00 on the first and fifth days) with tickets bought by QR code at the gate under visitor limits. The temple publishes lectures, not residential study. Checked 6 November 2026.
Wuhan has three main stations: Hankou serves most Wudang trains, Wuhan station most trains to Huangmei. The fastest Wudang train, G3903, leaves Hankou at 08:57 and reaches Wudangshan West at 11:07. For the temples of western Hubei we are still researching, trains run to Dangyang West in 1 h 33 min to 2 h 14 min and to Jingmen West from 58 min. All times are from 12306 for 10 November 2026. Compare more places to stay and practise in our guides:
We have not visited these places. Travel times are the timetable figures for the date shown; confirm dates, prices and admission with each host.