Mount Emei: A Breathtaking Buddhist Mountain and Geological Wonder first shown on Tour Travel Tibet

“Emei Mountain’s moon hangs round in autumn, casting shadows across Pingqiang River’s flow.”​ “Shu boasts numerous enchanting mountains, yet ascending Emei is particularly challenging.”

Mount Emei

Emei Mountain, a sub-range of the Qionglai Mountains, is situated on the southwestern edge of the Sichuan Basin in China. It is located near the enigmatic 30 ° north latitude. Extending 23 kilometres in a north-south direction, the mountain covers an area of approximately 110 square kilometres. Mount Emei, is positioned in Leshan City, Sichuan Province, and its highest peak, Ten Thousand Buddhas, reaches an elevation of 3099 meters above sea level. It is one of the four renowned Buddhist mountains in China.

Emei Mountain’s main peaks include Da Eshan, Er Eshan, San Eshan, Si Eshan, and 72 others such as Baozhang, Tianchi, Huayan, Jade Girl, and Stalagmite. The highest peak, reaching 3099 meters above sea level, dominates the southwest of Sichuan Province. Mount Emei is renowned for its breathtaking natural scenery, deep-rooted Buddhist culture, abundant flora and fauna, and unique geological features. It is commonly referred to as the “Fairy Mountain Buddhist Kingdom,” “Plant Kingdom,” “Animal Paradise,” and “Geological Museum.” Additionally, it has received the distinction of being designated a “Global Excellent Eco-Tourism Scenic Spot” by the United Nations.

Many famous mountains in Pingchou, such as Mount Huashan, Mount Lushan, and Mount Taishan, are fault-block mountains formed by geological structures, and Mount Emei is also a fault-block mountain. A fault block mountain is a geological wonder shaped by faults. The ancient rock strata are broken due to the force of the earth’s crust, forming a cliff that gives the mountain a flat appearance with cliffs on all sides.

The primary geological formation of Emei Mountain is the north-south short anticline. The landforms can be categorized into erosional and accumulative forms based on their shaping process. They can also be classified into structural, flowing water, karst, and glacial geomorphology.

The scenic area experiences more clouds, less sunshine, and abundant rainfall. It has a subtropical monsoon climate, with an average temperature of 6.9 degrees in January and 26.1 degrees in July. In the evening, from the top of Mount Emei, one can admire the vast view where the sunset reflects on the distant mountains, creating a beautiful illusion of rolling clouds. If fortunate, one may even catch a glimpse of the Gongga Snow Mountain in the distance.

Mount Emei’s breathtaking sea of clouds, known as the “Silver World” to Buddhists, creates a mesmerizing sight when the mountain wind blows and the distant peaks resemble islands in the sea. The climate characteristics vary according to altitude. The area below the Qingyin Pavilion is a low mountain region with abundant vegetation and a mild spring breeze, experiencing similar temperatures to the plain. Moving from the Qingyin Pavilion to Xixiang Pool, one enters a middle mountain area where the temperature is 4 ℃ to 5 ℃ cooler than the lower plain. Finally, from Xiangchi to Jinding, there is a high mountain region where the temperature is approximately 10 ℃ lower than that at the bottom of the mountain.

Mount Emei’s culture is rich with Buddhism, Taoism, martial arts, and culture. It is also known for being a source of inspiration for many historical figures who have written exceptional poems here. In 1996, UNESCO recognized Mount Emei as a World Cultural Heritage site, and it has since been designated as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Site, National Key Scenic Area, and National 5A Scenic Area.

1

Dae-san

Mount Eshan is the highest point of Mount Emei, reaching an elevation of 3099 meters. The mountain peaks are characterized by their undulating terrain, with heavy layers of green rock stacked on top. From the foothills to the summit, which spans thousands of meters, there is a stone path that seems to hover, reaching straight into the sky. At Jinding, there are extensive areas covered in weather-resistant basalt, while on the eastern side of Jinding, Paleozoic carbonate rocks can be found. The dissolution of water along anticlinal fissures has resulted in the formation of steep cliffs, known as body cliffs, as well as deep streams that can reach heights of up to 800 meters.

2

Mount Er

Mount Eshan, also known as Pengshan and Suishan, is composed of granite and dolomite. The main peak resembles a kettle and stands at an elevation of 1909 meters. The area is abundant with willow trees, various other trees, bamboo, and forest farms. It is home to native tea, bamboo shoots, tung oil, raw lacquer, and Chinese medicinal materials. The west foot of the mountain features the Taoist attraction known as the Pig Liver Cave. In the south, there is the Purple Kidney Cave, believed to be the training ground of Tang Lu Chunyang.

3

Saneyama

Three Asan, also known as Hua Edge Mountain, is situated in the southwest of Leshan Shawan Town. It spans a length of 13 km and is 7 km wide, with the main peak reaching an elevation of 2027.1 meters above sea level, towering 1625 meters higher than Shawan Town River. The summit is adorned with basalt and the eastern slope is remarkably steep. Various minerals such as copper and aluminium can be found in this area.

4

Shiayama

Eshan is located 20 miles north of Mount Da Emei in Sichuan Province. The urban area of Emei Mountain is situated five kilometers to the north and has an elevation of 982 meters above sea level. The mountain, resembling a flower, is also known as Huashan or Wuyang Longwei Mountain. It is famous for its “Shuijing note” nickname. Yuantong Temple and the ancient Kuan Yin an can be found at the summit, established by a Ming Dynasty monk. This location is renowned for its reverence of Zen.

Wanfo Peak

The Ten Thousand Buddha Summit is a scenic and historical conservation area in China, with the highest elevation among the four famous Buddhist mountains.

Ten thousand Buddhas top 3099 meters above sea level, the top of the original temple, called Manjusri Nunnery, also known as Qingliang Nunnery, Elysium Hall, built in the Ming Dynasty Zhengde years, the Qing Guangxu eleven years reconstruction, repair Tripitaka floor, collection of thousands of books. The top of Ten Thousand Buddhas, the top of Thousand Buddhas and the top of Jinding are arranged, looking up from the bottom of the mountain, like Qinshou, “Qinshou Emei” is said to come from this.

Jinding Golden Buddha

Mount Emei’s Golden Top, situated at an elevation of 3,079 meters, is not just the most stunning architectural marvel globally, but also the largest Golden Hall in China. The entire Hall is meticulously adorned with gilt, including its rare gold frescoes. These remarkable frescoes required the dedication of hundreds of craftsmen over a span of two years.

In Jinding, you can witness the four wonders of Mount Emei: sunrise, sea of clouds, Buddha’s light, and holy lamp. The Golden Buddha is a bronze-cast, gold-plated statue standing 48 meters tall and weighing 660 tons. It comprises a pedestal and ten Samantabhadra statues. The pedestal, measuring 6 meters in height and 27 meters in both length and width, bears the inscriptions of ten of Samantabhadra’s wishes. Its exterior is adorned with granite reliefs. The ten Samantabhadra statues, towering at 42 meters and weighing 350 tons, represent the forty-eight vows from the Buddhist sutras, symbolizing Amitabha Buddha’s salvation of all sentient beings.

Washbasin

​Xixiangchi, one of the eight temples on Mt. Emei, is located on the Zhuantian slope of Mt. Emei at an altitude of 2070 meters. In the Ming Dynasty, it was only a pavilion, called “Chuxi Pavilion,” and later it was converted into an nunnery, named Chuxi Nunnery.

Qing Kangxi 38 (AD 1699) was converted into a temple by Xingneng Zen Master (Hongchuan Old Man). In the early years of Qianlong (AD 1736), the monk renovated the Tiangpo road in front of the temple and the Luohan slope road behind the temple, and converted the small pool in front of the temple into six sides, with a stone elephant on the side of the pool in order to respond to the theory of washing elephants by Puxian Bodhisattva.

According to legend, when Samantabhadra Bodhisattva rode an elephant, the white elephant once bathed in the pool, so it was renamed Xixiangchi, also known as the smallpox Zen Temple.

Senbo-ji Temple

​Xianfeng Temple, one of the eight temples on Mount Emei, is located under the Xianfeng Rock, formerly known as Ciyan Temple, 1725 meters above sea level, the door YinHuaYanding. The temple was founded in the 18th year of the Yuan Dynasty (1281 AD) and was originally a small nunnery.

During the Ming Dynasty, a temple was constructed to house the Tibetan scriptures gifted by Mingshen Zong. In the Wanli era (AD 1612), Benjiong Zen Master expanded the temple, which came to be known as the “Xianfeng Zen Forest”. In the 16th year of Ming Chongframe (AD 1643), it was destroyed by fire. However, in the 44th year of Qing Qianlong (AD 1779), Taian and Yusheng monks rebuilt it and it has retained the name “Xianfeng Temple” ever since.

Ninety-nine turns.

The famous dangerous slope of Emei Mountain starts at Lingxiao Pavilion and ends at Shouxing Bridge. As you travel along, you encounter one turn after another and slope after slope. At the end of each slope, there is a sudden peak, followed by another slope.

When Samantabhadra arrived at Emei Mountain to construct the Ashram, he noticed the steep and slippery terrain. Concerned about the safety of the journey, he instructed Lingzu Bodhisattva to lead 3,000 men to simultaneously build steps. This resulted in the formation of 3,000 stone steps, with each person responsible for repairing one step. The stone steps include ninety-nine turns, which led to the name of the slope.

Manne-ji Temple

Wannian Temple is situated in Emei Mountain, about 15 kilometers below Lion Ridge, from the foothills of Baoguo Temple. It was originally constructed in the Eastern Jin Dynasty and was known as Samantabhadra Temple. Later, during the reconstruction by Tang Xi Zong Hui Tong Chan Master, it was renamed Baishui Temple. In the Song Dynasty, it was once again renamed as the White Water Temple.

In the 29th year of the Ming Dynasty (AD 1601), Emperor Shenzong celebrated the Empress Dowager’s 70th birthday at the Holy Life Temple. Behind the beamless brick hall stands a renowned “wish building” housing the three treasures of Wannian Temple: Buddha’s teeth, Beiye Sutra, and Royal Printing.

Qingyin Pavilion

Qingyin Pavilion, also known as Wo Yun Temple, is one of the eight temples on Mount Emei. It was built by Hui Tong Zen Master during the reign of Emperor Xi Zong of the Tang Dynasty. It is used for the statues of Sakyamuni, Manjusri and Samantabhadra. 

Founded in Tang Xizong four years (877), Guangji monks in the early Ming Dynasty took Jin people to think about “why silk and bamboo, landscape has a clear sound” meaning, renamed Qingyin Pavilion.This Pavilion is built on the ridge between the Heilongjiang and the Bailong River, and the situation is precipitous. Pavilion after the Pavilion side, dense forest.

Chunyang Hall

Chunyang Temple, formerly known as Lu Xianxing Cave, is located under the peak of Chicheng and was founded in the Ming Wanli period. The existing temple was rebuilt during Qianlong and Jiaqing years in Qing Dynasty. Chunyang Temple has two halls, the first hall pharmacist hall, for pharmacist Buddha, left and right for sun, moonlight Bodhisattva, are bronze decoration gold, for Qing Dynasty cultural relics; the second hall for Sakyamuni Buddha, there are eighteen Luohan on both sides, and there are two niches on both sides, for Puxian, Gezang, Guanyin, Manshu, and a Wei pack.

In the desolate grass behind the temple, there are still two stone tablets, and the words are clearly distinguishable, reflecting the history of the coexistence of Buddhism and Taoism in Mount Emei, and then the disappearance of Buddha and Fachang long and feather scholars.

Ryon-ji Temple

​Lei Yin Temple, also known as the relief nunnery, is located under Yunu Peak. Lei Yin Temple in the Ming Dynasty Jiajing, Longqing years (about 1522-1572 AD) is Guanyin Hall, altitude of 733 meters. During the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty (about 1573 AD), the flawless Zen master was crowned here. Legend has it that the flawless monk regained the bear, died and walked the tiger, and became famous in all directions. In the early Qing Dynasty, he once changed his name to Fangan. Guang Xu rebuilt the temple for 10 years (AD 1884) and changed his name to Lei Yin in order to aspire to its affairs.

Hokuo Temple

Baoguo Temple is located at the foot of Mount Emei, 551 meters above sea level. It is the first temple of Mount Emei, the seat of Mount Emei Buddhist Association and the center of Mount Emei Buddhist activities.

The large plaque of “Baoguo Temple” on the mountain gate is the imperial title of Emperor Kangxi of Qing Dynasty, Yufan handwritten, and the main hall is hung with “Baoxiang solemn” plaque. The pair of couplets on the columns on both sides of the gate “Phoenix spread its wings towards the golden que, and the bell chime frequently heard of the jade steps.” Horizontal plaques “Puzhao Zen Lin” and “put the light in general”. There is a joint language on the gate: “think alone and say sutras.” 

Fusho-ji Temple

Fusho-ji TempleOne of the eight major temples in Emei Mountain. Founded in the Tang Dynasty, during the Shaoxing period of the Southern Song Dynasty, during the Shunzhi period of the Qing Dynasty, the monk was rebuilt for 20 years, and it was one of the largest temples in the mountain.

Entering the temple gate is the Temple of Maitreya, in which the statue of Maitreya is molded with gold, and the statue of the four kings of heaven is divided on both sides. At the back of the Temple of Maitreya is the Temple of Weitou, with the image of Wei in it. Inside the temple is Huayan Tower Pavilion, a copper Huayan tower cast in the Ming Dynasty, which is 5.8m high and has a total of 14 storeys. The tower body has more than 4700 small Buddha statues, and the tower body is engraved with the text of Huayan Sutra.

Thousand Buddhas

The mountain gate of the Thousand Buddha Zen Academy opens east, and the eleven patios of the ten halls are orderly from east to west. The pharmacist hall of Daguang Ming Building faces the south road of Foguang in the city, leading the door for Thousand Buddha Zen House, Ming and Qing style city building, which is the north entrance of Zen House.

Chanyuan covers an area of more than 400 acres, as the first door to worship Mount Emei, one of the largest ten square jungle in Asia. Qian Fo Chan Yuan sits west to east, the overall layout is divided into three major functional areas: the north (near the urban area) is the Buddhist worship area, that is, the religious ceremony space, the middle is the Buddhist garden culture sharing area, the south is the Buddhist college education area, that is, the Sichuan Buddhist Institute.

Leshan Emei Cuisine

Jellied bean curd

Braised beef

Night copy

Leshan bowl bowl chicken, roasted squid

Niu Hua Malatang, Su Ji rice flower candy

Macun Fish Head, Leshan Sweet Skin Duck

Cool cake, ice powder

Other cuisine

Tour Route Map  Tourist Route Map 

Note: The picture above shows the tourist routes and dot distribution map of Mount Emei.

Warm prompt

1, Scenic Ticket Prices:

High Season Fares (January 16 to December 14)

Tickets: adult ticket 160 yuan / person, discount ticket 80 yuan / per person

Ten thousand years cableway ticket: upward 65 yuan / person, downward 45 yuan / people

Jinding cableway ticket: upward 65 yuan / person, downward 55 yuan

Low Season Fares (December 15 to January 15)

Tickets: adult tickets 110 yuan / person, discount tickets 55 yuan /

Ten thousand years cableway ticket: upward 30 yuan / person, downward 20 yuan / people

Jinding cableway ticket: up 30 yuan / person, down 20 yuan

Sightseeing ticket: 90 yuan / person round trip

2, Mount Emei four distinct seasons, spring to autumn is the most suitable travel season.

3, Mount Emei climbing routes are steep, be sure to wear comfortable sports shoes, carry enough water and snacks.

4, moderate rest, to avoid overwork.

5, need to understand the local weather conditions in advance, ready to travel required items.

END

Mount Emei,

In addition to the beautiful natural scenery,

There are “sunrise, Buddha light, holy lights, clouds,” the four wonders.

The post Mount Emei: A Breathtaking Buddhist Mountain and Geological Wonder appeared first on Tour Travel Tibet.