Qingyang Prefecture, Chizhou, Anhui Province.
One of the four Buddhist holy mountains in China.
Jiuhua Mountain is located in Qingyang County. Chizhou City, Anhui Province. It is near to the Yangtze River in the northwest and close to picturesque Yellow Mountain in the southeast. It coves a scenic area of 120 square kilometers. Being a famous tourist summer resort, it is a national 5A-class tourist area. Jiuhua Mountain is famous for its fantastic peaks and perilous overhanging cliffs. There are myriad of gurgling streams, springs, waterfalls, exotic-looking boulders, grotesque rocks, ancient caves, exuberant bamboos and many other great things to see. There are a total of 99 peaks in the place, such as Tiantai Peak, Shiwang Peak, Lianhua Peak, Tianzhu Peak, etc. The highest peak in Jiuhua Mountain is Shiwang Peak, which is 1342 meters tall.
Except for it popularity as a famous tourist site, Jiuhua Mountain is also a sacred destination that contains rich Buddhist culture. Together with Mt. Wutai in Shanxi, Mt. Emei in Sichuan, and Mt. Putuo in Zhejiang, it has been listed as one of the four sacred mountains of Chinese Buddhism. It is the dojo of the Earth Store Bodhisattva. This place has been popular for its Buddhist culture since Tang Dynasty. By now, there are still 99 existing temples, more than Buddhist monks and nuns, as well as more than 10,000 ancient Buddha statues. There are also various handed-down cultural relics, which has a number of more than 2,000 pieces. There are also many eminent monks in this area, and there are 15 naturally-formed flesh-body bodhisattvas, of which 5 flesh-body bodhisattvas are available for visiting.
The local residents near Jiuhua Mountain go to the closest temple to burn incense, to pray for peace and happiness during the Spring Festival. In order to express respect for the temple’s monks, the local residents will eat only vegetarian food for three days during the Spring Festival, from lunar January 1 to lunar January 2.
【Zhenshen Hall】Zhenshan Hall is the base of Buddhist culture in Jiuhua Mountain. It is a palace architecture facing the southwest. The hall is 15 meters high. Visitors have to walk up the 81 stairs to reach the gate of the hall. This hall is a sacred site for people, for there are various Buddhist statues with differet sites.
【Jiuhua Street】
Jiuhua Street has an elevation of more than 600 meters, being the center of Jiuhua Mountain, for most of the temples are gathered in this area. In addition to temples, there are also schools, hotels, shops and farmhouses, visitors can stay here and use it as a starting point to explore the attractions nearby. Huacheng Temple here is the oldest temple on the Jiuhua Mountain, which was build in the Jin Dynasty. It is also main temple here.
There are also other watch points, such as, Yuantong Temple, Jiuhua Rive, Lotus Peak, Shiwang Peak, etc.
Jiuhua Moutain has a humid subtropical monsoon climate, but also has a small alpine climate. The annual average temperature is 13.4 ℃ and the annual average rainfall is 2437.5 mm. There are many rainy days in this area, especially in Spring. The average temperature in winter in most parts of Jiuhua Mountain is about 0 ℃, with long freezing time.
Mount Jiuhua is located in the border southeast of Chizhou city in Anhui Province. The transportation is convenient.
【By plane】
Tourists can take a flight to reach Hefei or Huangshan Airport first, and then transfer to a bus to Mount Jiuhua.
【By train】
After arriving Chizhou Railway Station by train, one can take a bus to arrive at the Mount Jiuhua.
There are also direct long-distance buses in Hefei, Tongling or Chizhou to leave for Mount Jiuhua.
【By boat】
In addition, you can also take a boat to Chizhou, Tongling, Wuhu port, and then turnto direct land vehicle to reach there.
