The Golden Hall (Jin Dian) crowns Tianzhu Peak — the "Pillar of Heaven" — at 1,612 metres, the highest point of the Wudang complex. It is a bronze pavilion gilded entirely in gold, cast in Beijing in 1416 at the personal direction of the Yongle Emperor and hauled to the summit in pieces to be assembled in place. The hall contains a bronze statue of Zhenwu, the True Warrior deity — a composite Taoist god whose worship the Yongle Emperor promoted in thanks for military victory. The combination of technical achievement, religious significance, and mountain setting makes this one of the most remarkable single structures in China.
The approach to the summit involves either a cable car or a walk up the stone-paved path from the Zixiao Palace area — the walk takes two to three hours and passes through forest and past smaller temple pavilions that prepare you for the scale of what you find at the top. The summit area can be cold and windy even in summer; come prepared. The view from the terrace below the hall, on a clear day, takes in dozens of kilometres of forested ridges and makes the Yongle Emperor's choice of setting immediately comprehensible.