Mount Lushan sits on the south bank of Lake Qionghai, 3 miles south of Xichang. It rises 7,602 feet above sea lev­el and 2,648 feet higher than Lake Qionghai. It is near the Lushui River (now Sheng-sha River), hence the name Mount Lushan. Moreover, as the mountain is shaped like a crouching frog, it is also referred to as Mount Washan (u'<7 means "frog," while shan means "mountain"). Lake Qionghai is to the east of the mountain, Anning River to the west, Xichang to the north, and Mount Luojishan to the south.

The whole mountain is cov­ered with coniferous and broadleaf evergreen forests. There are many very old trees on the mountain, among them, the Xichang Oak (Huangban) is a rare ancient species, which has been called a "liv­ing tree fossil." Other large ancient trees of the Han, Tang, and Ming dynasties are also worth a visit.

There are many ancient buildings on the mountain as well, including Guangfu Temple, Mengduan Memo­rial Temple, Sanjiao'an Tem­ple (a temple with monksnuns, and Taoists coexisting under the same roof), Zushi Dian (Taoist Founder Hall), Guanyin Ge (Avalokites-vara Pavilion), and Wangmu Dian (Heavenly Queen Pal­ace). Guangfu Temple is the largest building complex on Mount Lushan. Well-preserved artifacts housed here include many fancy carvings, beautiful poems, and writings from many dynasties, as well as huge copper religious figures and incense burners.