Analysis of the Landscape Sequence of Pilgrimage Path in Mount Qiyun in Ming and Qing Dynasties

Mount Qiyun in Anhui Province, where the trace of Taoism initially appeared in Tang Dynasty, was at its peak in Ming and Qing dynasties. Thanks to the joint efforts of all parties concerned, several pilgrimage paths were gradually formed in Mount Qiyun to satisfy the pilgrimage needs of believers, which have constituted a linear space with rich landscape in Mount Qiyun. This research, based on the natural environment of Mount Qiyun, explores three leading social causes that promote the development of Mount Qiyun as a famous Taoist mountain: Taoism, Huizhou merchants and pilgrim association. Additionally, with the method of graphic-text mutual justification based on the materials obtained through ancient books and field survey, the research studies the landscape sequence of the pilgrimage path in Mount Qiyun from the four spatial evolution stages of beginning, development, climax and ending, and reveals the spatial landscape characteristics at each stage and the connotation behind symbolic landscape, based on which shows the landscape space construction of ancient famous Taoist mountains in a more clear way and, to a certain extent, provides a reference for constructing modern related scenic and historic areas.