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. In addition to its popularity as a tourist destination, it is a holy site where Buddhists assemble-- it has been established as one of the four sacred Buddhist shrines, along with Mt.Wutai in Shanxi, Mt.Emei in Sichuan, and Mt.Putuoshan in Zhejiang.
It is said that Ksitigarbha or Dizang (the Bodhisattva of Salvation) is enshrined on Mount Jiuhua. Ksitigarbha is one of the Mahayana Bodhisattvas of Buddhism. Buddhism relates that after the death of Sakyamuni and before the emergence of Maitreya, Ksifigarbha was the Bodhisartva that saved all the living creatures in heaven and in hell. Like the earth, he was believed to have possessed an unlimited amount of the best strains of seeds.
Buddhism continues that in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the Korean prince Kim Qiaojue came to China across the sea. He meditated for 75 years at Mount Jiuhua. During that period, Bodhisattva Dizang was preached, and large-scale constrtion of monasteries was undertaken. The Song (960-1279) , Yuan (1279- 1368), Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties witnessed great changes. During the heyday in history, there were over 300 monasteries with more than 4,000 monks. Pilgrims came to Mount Jiuhua all the year round, and was reputedes "the Fairy City of Buddhist Kingdom". With the elapsing of time, only 78 monastteries with over 1,500 Buddhist images left on Mount Jiuhua.
Visitors to the temples on Mt. Jiuhua are always impressed with the exquisite architecture and grand structure. 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.
Huacheng Temple is the oldest and holiest temple on the mountain. It is located in the center of Jiuhua Street. Though it first appears simple and solemn, the structure and decoration of the building are truly artistic. The engravings on lintels, brackets and roofs reinforce the brightness and liveliness of the building. The picture, 'Nine Dragons Playing with Pearls' on a panel in the Main Shrine Hall is a consummate piece of ancient Chinese art.
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.
It is also worth mentioning the Corporeal Body Hall houses the skeleton of Monk Wu Xia that has been well preserved for more than 350 years. Wu Xia once wrote sutras with a mixture of gold powder and his own blood in a cave of Mt. Jiuhua during Ming Dynasty. After hard practice of sutras for a hundred year in Mt. Jiuhua, Wu Xia passed away at the age of 126-- his body found in the cave three years after his death. Monks on the mountain believed Wu Xia was the reincarnation of Rinpoche. From then on, Buddhist believers have been keen to visit the mountain to pay homage to the monk.
Admission Fee: RMB 117 (Entrance charge)
RMB 85 (Through ticket for Longevity Hall Telpher)
RMB 85 (Through ticket for Tiantai Telpher)
Opening Hours: 08:10 to 18:00