Which sacred mountain is associated with the north in Taoist cosmology?

Which sacred mountain is associated with the north in Taoist cosmology? It is Mount Heng in Shanxi, also called Hengshan or Northern Heng Shan.

Mount Heng is one of China’s Five Great Mountains, whose traditional directions connect each mountain with a region of the cosmos. Shanxi’s Hengshan represents the northern direction. Its counterpart, Mount Heng in Hunan, is the southern mountain, which creates a frequent source of confusion because both names are pronounced Hengshan in Chinese.

The Shanxi mountain has been regarded as sacred since at least the Zhou dynasty and has a long connection with mountain worship and Taoism. The Beiyue Miao, or Shrine of the Northern Peak, was dedicated to the mountain deity and has a history reaching back to the Han dynasty. The famous Hanging Temple stands near the mountain’s cliffs.

Mount Heng in Shanxi is not the same place as Mount Tai, the eastern sacred mountain, Mount Hua, the western mountain, or Mount Song, the central mountain. Its elevation is about 2,017 metres.