Covering an area of 100 square kilometers, Jiuhua Mountain is located in the southwest of Qingyang County in the south of Anhui Province. It is dotted with temples and misted with the smoke of burning joss sticks. It is a sacred place for Buddhist pilgrims. Noted for its beautiful scenery and favorable climate, the mountain is an ideal summer resort. With a unique appeal, Jiuhua has been established as one of the four most important Buddhist Mountains in China and is known in and out of the country as "the most worshipped sacred place" and "the first mountain in Southeast China".
There are 99 peaks and 18 scenic spots. The peaks stand sheer against each other, yet they are all exquisitely beautiful. In the height of prosperity, the temples numbered 150 and the monks and nuns more than 3,000.
History
Starting in the Tang Dynasty, temples were built on the mountain, and the renovation or enlargement of old temples lasted for centuries. In its prime, Mount Jiuhua had over 300 temples and 5,000 Buddhist monks and nuns in residence. At present, there are over 50 well-pre-served temples and more than 6,000 Buddha sculptures.
When Li Bai was invited to the mountain, he was overwhelmed by the scene of nine peaks that look like lotus blooms from heaven. Out of admiration he composed the lines: "Two forces preserve between the World and the Heaven; Nine lotuses blossom on the Jiuhua Mountain." Since then the mountain has been attracting men of letters throughout the ages, and thus Jiuhua obtained its fame. Just as the Chinese saying goes,” A mountain is famous not for its height but for its holiness".
Jiuhua Street
If you want to visit Jiuhua Mountain, you’d better first visit Jiuhua Street, whose elevation is over 600 meters. It is in the center of Jiuhua Mountain and most of temples are here. In fact, this place is a mountain town. In addition to the temples, there are shops, schools, hotels and farmhouses.
Huacheng Temple
At the Jiuhua Street, Huacheng Temple is the most glorious ancient temple and the main temple of Jiuhua Mountain. Not far away from Jiuhua Street, there is a palace on the cliff, and tourists can see this holy Buddha in the temple, wearing a red cassock and sitting on the top of the lotus throne.
Heavenly terrace Peak
It is the best place to watch the scenery of Jiuhua Mountain and is also the main peak with an elevation of over 1,300 meters. If you don’t climb up the Heavenly Terrace Peak, you can not say you have toured Jiuhua Mountain. Walking from Jiuhua Street to Heavenly Terrace Peak, tourists can see many scenic spots.
Admission Fee: 140 RMB per person (December—February); 110 RMB per person (March—November)
Opening time: 8:00 am—17:30 pm