Hundred-step staircase

On the road leading to the Golden Summit on the east side of Chaotian Palace, there is a steep staircase known as the "Hundred-Step Ladder". Beside the Hundred-step staircase stands a stone tablet, which reads "The Merit Tablet for Donating and Cultivating the Divine Path". Both the Yin and Yang sides are engraved with inscriptions, documenting the event of restoring this sacred road, as well as a period of history of Wudang Mountain and a famous figure. In the late Qing Dynasty, that is, in 1894 AD, a highly accomplished Taoist priest named Xu Benshan emerged from Wudang Mountain. He is the 15th generation successor of the Longmen Sect of Wudang and is determined to revitalize Wudang. At that time, the 43-year-old Taoist priest saw that the temples and monasteries on Wudang Mountain were severely damaged and the roads were collapsed and blocked. So, he offered good advice to raise funds and repair the sacred way. In April 1931 AD, Commander He Long led the Red Third Army to move into Wudang Mountain. Xu Benshan had long been impressed by the reputation of the Red Army and General He Long for defeating the rich and saving the poor. He led over 50 of his disciples down the mountain to welcome the Red Army. He voluntarily made room in the Parents' Hall of Zixiao Palace available as the headquarters of the Red Third Army and set aside the West Taoist Temple as the rear hospital of the Red Third Army. At the same time, skilled Taoist doctors were dispatched to treat the wounded and sick soldiers of the Red Army. General He Longjun was deeply moved by General Xu Daozong and his fellow Daoists for their selfless assistance to the Red Army. He composed a couplet with Xu Benshan's name "Weiqiao" and personally wrote it to present to General Xu Daozong. The couplet reads: "The great man comes from the east and his spirit fades away; Brother Qiao departs from the west and soars to the clouds." Xu Benshan was later killed by bandits. Xu Daozong was passionate about Wudang Mountain and sacrificed his precious life for the people's revolutionary cause. He is an honor for Wudang Mountain and also for the Chinese Taoist community.