Wild Edible Plants and Pilgrimage on Wudang Mountain

Abstract

Wudang Mountain is a Daoist sacred mountain and a UNESCO heritage site in central China. This study investigates the wild edible plants (WEPs) sold in local yecaiguan (‘wild food resturants’) and examines the relationship between wild edible plants, local villagers, and pilgrimage on the mountain. Adding WEPs from forest and abandoned farmlands to restaurant menus has assisted local villagers in participating in heritage tourism, adapting to rapid social changes resulting from the heritage industry, and maintaining the local community. These wild food plants have also been involved in the construction of the memory, images, narratives, and myths surrounding the sacredscapes of the mountain, which are fundamental to pilgrims’ experience of the site. Through WEPs, villagers help tourists and pilgrims visit and experience this sacred mountain in multisensory and embodied ways, and help protect the mountain’s heritage, including local knowledge, in a living system.