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Top 4 Buddhist Mountains in China
Post Date: Jul 03rd, 2012
1.Mountain Wutai
The most holy land of Chinese Buddhism, Mt. Wutai lies in Wutai County in Xinzhou Region, Shanxi Province. It is rated on both the list of the first group of national scenic spots designated by the State Council, and the list of the Top 10 scenic spots in Shanxi Province.
Mt. Wutai covers an area of 2,837 square kilometers, and its five main peaks, positioned east, south, west, north, and in the middle, embrace one another with broad and plain terraces rather than forests on their tops. That is why it bears the name "Wutai" (Mountain of Five Terraces). With the average altitude over 1,000 meters, its apex, the summit of the northern peak which is famed as being the "Roof of Northern China", reaches 3061.1 meters. Besides the religious aspect, the beauty of rising and falling ridges of mountains, exotic rocks, crisscrossed gullies, crystalline waters and towering green forests also gives Mt. Wutai its reputation as a colorful and notable tourist resort.
2.Mt. Emei
Mt. Emei is located in Leshan City, Sichuan Province. It is towering, beautiful, old and mysterious. It is like a huge green screen standing in the southwest of the Chengdu Plain. Looking its winding and beautiful figure, you will find that it resembles very much an eyebrow of a girl. It is the highest one among all the famous sight-seeing mountains in China.
In Mt. Emei there are four scenic regions: Baoguo Temple, Wannian Temple, Qingyin Pavilion and Golden Summit. Its main peak, the Golden Summit, is 3079.3 meters above the sea level, seemingly reaching the sky. In addition in Golden Summit there are four spectacles: cloud sea, sunrise, Buddha rays and saint lamps. Mt. Emei is a wondrous world. The trees are verdant almost all the year round; the waterfalls are splendid; the whole scenery is beautiful and quiet. The landscape varies according to the seasons, the height of mountain and the climate. In 1996 Mt. Emei was enlisted in the world natural and cultural heritage by the UNESCO.
3.Mountain Jiuhua
Bordered on the Yangtze River in the north and overlooked the Mt. Huangshan in the south, Mt. Jiuhua covers an area of 100 square kilometers southwest of Qingyang County, Anhui Province, not far from the picturesque Mt.Huangshan. Mt. Jiuhua boasts 99 peaks and 18 scenic spots in its area. With its marvelous landscape and pleasant climate, Mt. Jiuhua is considered one of the best summer resorts in China. Mt. Jiuhua has always been a place that attracts men of letters throughout the ages. Visitors to the temples on Mt. Jiuhua are always impressed with the exquisite architecture and grand structure.
It has been established as one of the four sacred Buddhist shrines. Now there are no more than 90 temples in existence in Mt. Jiuhua, most of them restored in Ming and Qing Dynasties. Among the most well known are the Incarnation Hall, Huacheng Temple, Zhiyuan Temple, Longevity Hall, Zhantanlin Temple, Ganlu Temple and Tiantai Zhending Temple. Precious sutras and other cultural relics in the temples are displayed in the Historical Relics Museum of the Jiuhua Mountain. The most valuable are the Buddhist canonical literature left from the Tang Dynasty, the Tripitaka left from the Ming Dynasty, and Emperor Kang Xi and Emperor Qian Long's handwritings left from the Qing Dynasty.
4.Putuo Mountain
Located in the Putuoshan Islands, Mountain Putuo is one of China's four sacred Buddhist mountains, particularly oriented toward the Buddhist deity Guanyin, the goddess of mercy and compassion. The temples and shrines on the island are full of colorful sculptures depicting the deity in her various forms.
It got the sacred spirit after a Japanese monk who came to China to seek for help. The monk planned to carry a Buddha sculpture obtained from Mountain Wutai back to Japan. But unfortunately he was stopped by a storm at this area. He believed that the buddha was reluctant to live, so he landed and built a nunnery named "Unwilling to Leave” to host the sculpture. Since ever, the mountain has been heavily visited by pilgrims.
Why Lead to China
Top 4 Buddhist Mountains in China
1.Mountain WutaiThe most holy land of Chinese Buddhism, Mt. Wutai lies in Wutai County in Xinzhou Region, Shanxi Province. It is rated on both the list of the first group of national scenic spots designated by the State Council, and the list of the Top 10 scenic spots in Shanxi Province.
Mt. Wutai covers an area of 2,837 square kilometers, and its five main peaks, positioned east, south, west, north, and in the middle, embrace one another with broad and plain terraces rather than forests on their tops. That is why it bears the name "Wutai" (Mountain of Five Terraces). With the average altitude over 1,000 meters, its apex, the summit of the northern peak which is famed as being the "Roof of Northern China", reaches 3061.1 meters. Besides the religious aspect, the beauty of rising and falling ridges of mountains, exotic rocks, crisscrossed gullies, crystalline waters and towering green forests also gives Mt. Wutai its reputation as a colorful and notable tourist resort.
2.Mt. EmeiMt. Emei is located in Leshan City, Sichuan Province. It is towering, beautiful, old and mysterious. It is like a huge green screen standing in the southwest of the Chengdu Plain. Looking its winding and beautiful figure, you will find that it resembles very much an eyebrow of a girl. It is the highest one among all the famous sight-seeing mountains in China.
In Mt. Emei there are four scenic regions: Baoguo Temple, Wannian Temple, Qingyin Pavilion and Golden Summit. Its main peak, the Golden Summit, is 3079.3 meters above the sea level, seemingly reaching the sky. In addition in Golden Summit there are four spectacles: cloud sea, sunrise, Buddha rays and saint lamps. Mt. Emei is a wondrous world. The trees are verdant almost all the year round; the waterfalls are splendid; the whole scenery is beautiful and quiet. The landscape varies according to the seasons, the height of mountain and the climate. In 1996 Mt. Emei was enlisted in the world natural and cultural heritage by the UNESCO.
3.Mountain JiuhuaBordered on the Yangtze River in the north and overlooked the Mt. Huangshan in the south, Mt. Jiuhua covers an area of 100 square kilometers southwest of Qingyang County, Anhui Province, not far from the picturesque Mt.Huangshan. Mt. Jiuhua boasts 99 peaks and 18 scenic spots in its area. With its marvelous landscape and pleasant climate, Mt. Jiuhua is considered one of the best summer resorts in China. Mt. Jiuhua has always been a place that attracts men of letters throughout the ages. Visitors to the temples on Mt. Jiuhua are always impressed with the exquisite architecture and grand structure.
It has been established as one of the four sacred Buddhist shrines. Now there are no more than 90 temples in existence in Mt. Jiuhua, most of them restored in Ming and Qing Dynasties. Among the most well known are the Incarnation Hall, Huacheng Temple, Zhiyuan Temple, Longevity Hall, Zhantanlin Temple, Ganlu Temple and Tiantai Zhending Temple. Precious sutras and other cultural relics in the temples are displayed in the Historical Relics Museum of the Jiuhua Mountain. The most valuable are the Buddhist canonical literature left from the Tang Dynasty, the Tripitaka left from the Ming Dynasty, and Emperor Kang Xi and Emperor Qian Long's handwritings left from the Qing Dynasty.
4.Putuo MountainLocated in the Putuoshan Islands, Mountain Putuo is one of China's four sacred Buddhist mountains, particularly oriented toward the Buddhist deity Guanyin, the goddess of mercy and compassion. The temples and shrines on the island are full of colorful sculptures depicting the deity in her various forms.
It got the sacred spirit after a Japanese monk who came to China to seek for help. The monk planned to carry a Buddha sculpture obtained from Mountain Wutai back to Japan. But unfortunately he was stopped by a storm at this area. He believed that the buddha was reluctant to live, so he landed and built a nunnery named "Unwilling to Leave” to host the sculpture. Since ever, the mountain has been heavily visited by pilgrims.
