Kongtong Mountain is located 12 kilometers to the west of Pingliang city, Northwest China’s Gansu province. It is close to Xi'an from the east, next to Lanzhou from the west, neighbors Baoji from the south and is near to Yinchuan from the north. Not surprisingly it was a fortress on the ancient Silk Road. 

Kongtong Mountain covers an area of 84 square kilometers, and its main peak is 2123 meters in height. It gathers together breathtaking natural scenery and a traditional and exquisite cultural landscape and has won many good reputations from ancient times to the present. 

It not only has magnificent form but also beautiful scenery. At Kongtong Mountain, there are 8 terraces, 9 palaces, 12 courtyards, 42 clusters of buildings and 72 stone caverns.  

Kongtong Mountain has attracted many celebrities and poets from ancient to modern times. China’s national ancestor Xuanyuan Huangdi (the Yellow Emperor) used to climb Kongtong Mountain to ask a wise man, Guangchengzi, the methods of governing a country and how to maintain health. 

The First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) and Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 24) also climbed the mountain. A number of scholars and poets such as Sima Qian, Du Fu and Bai Juyi wrote many poems and articles to praise Kongtong Mountain. Along with Shaolin, Wudang, Emei and Kunlun, Kongtong Mountain was the place of origin of one of the five original Chinese martial arts styles.

During the Qin and Han dynasties, a culturallandscape began to appear around Kongtong Mountain. A number of pavilions, temples, palaces and towers were built on the mountain over many dynasties. In the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties it was home to 12 famous and popular cultural scenery sites and in recent years the number of its cultural scenery spots grew to 35. 

In 1994, Kongtong Mountain was approved as a National Park of China by the State Council and in January 2001 it was designated among national 4A-level scenic areas by the China National Tourism Administration. 

On May 8, 2007, it it was upgraded to a national 5A-level scenic area. On July 26, 2003, an image of Kongtong Mountain was printed on a "special stamp" (a stamp issued by the state with certain symbols of China) as the fourth best known scenic spot after the Mogao Grottoes, Maiji Mountain Grottoes and the Jiayu Pass. 

In March 2004, it was promoted as a National Geopark. On August 9, 2005, the Kongtong Mountain, together with Taitong Mountain, was approved as a Nature Reserve of China by the State Council.