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Mt. Jiuhua lies 20km northeast of Qingyang County, Anhui Province and is a sacred place for Buddhist pilgrims. Mt. Jiuhua has been established as one of the four most important Buddhist Mountains and is well-known as "the most picturesque mountain in the southeast China". Famous for its beautiful scenery and favorable climate, the mountain is an ideal summer resort. The 100 km2 area is full of ridges and peaks, exotic-shaped stones, gushing fountains, roaring waterfalls, and clear streams. Birds accompany the beating of bell and drum. Fog and pines set each other off beautifully. The original name of the mountain was Mt. Jiuzishan. However it was renamed Mt. Jiuhua, meaning "the Mountain of the Nine Lotuses." Legend states that one day, Libai - the famous poet of the Tang Dynasty - came to visit this mountain. The poet was intoxicated with the scene of nine peaks that look like lotus blooms from heaven. Out of admiration he wrote the lines: "From the azure skies above descends a jade-like flow, and nine fascinating lotuses rise out of the hills below." Since then the mountain has attracted men of letters through several dynasties, and thus obtained its fame. Just as the Chinese saying goes:" A mountain is famous not for its height but for its holiness".

Famous Buddhist Shrine

It was not until the late eighth century that the mountain became a place where religious rites were held to worship the God of Earth. The construction of temples started in the Tang Dynasty and their enlargement continued in the following dynasties. By the middle of the Qing, Mt. Jiuhua became one of the four great Buddhist Mountains in China (the other three being Mt. Emeishan in Sichuan, Mt. Wutaishan in Shanxi and Mt. Putuoshan in Zhejiang).

"Huacheng Temple" is the oldest temples on the mountain. It looks simple and solemn. Its lintels, brackets and roofs all have artistic engravings on them. The picture "nine dragons are playing with pearls" on a panel in the "Main Shrine Hall" is a consummate piece of ancient Chinese artists. Precious sutras and other cultural relics in Huacheng and other temples are on display in the Historical Relics Museum of the Jiuhua Mountain. The most valuable of all 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.

In the "Corporeal Body Hall" of Wannian Temple is the mummy of Monk Wu Xia, wearing a lotus-flower-shaped crown and a vermilion "kasaya," and is still well preserved after more than 350 years. Buddhist followers are keen to pay homage to the monk whenever they visit the Mountain. Other attractions include the "Corporeal Body and Treasure Hall," which houses the body of has eminent monk Jin Qiaojue's, and the splendid palatial architecture of Zhiyuan Temple.

Putuoshan (Putuo Mountain) is located on one of the Zhoushan Islands in eastern Zhejiang Province, and has an area of 12.5 square kilometers, with mountain ranges in the northwest, and beaches in the southeast. Putuoshan is noted for its rough terrain and exquisite landscape. Its main peak, the Peak of Buddhist Top, 297 meters above sea level. And endowed with the merits of both a mountain and a sea, commands a bird's eye view of all the Zhoushan Islands in the distance. The clouds like sails, scattered about, and the sea and the sky bore but a same blurred color. The island cape is encircled by numerous protruding reps and deep hidden grottoes. The sea beaches are a nice place for strolling and listening to the sound of tides that ebb and flow.

The Temple of Puji

The existing Grand Hall was rebuilt in the 9th year of Yongzheng Reign (AD 1731) in the Qing Dynasty. It consists of over 200 structures of various types, and is the chief temple where Guanyin (a Bodhisattra) is enshrined. The construction with 9 halls, 12 pavilions and 16 houses, is magnificent and large in scale, and covers an area of 14,000 square meters. In front of the Temple lies a Haiyin (Lotus Flowers Pool). Directly facing the entrance leading to the Temple, are an 8-angled pavilion and an imperial tablet pavilion built above the center of the pool. To the southeast of the Temple, stand several pagodas, and to the southwest, stone tablets.

The Beaches

The island is surrounded by quite a few beaches. Baibusha Beach, along the East Coast and 1.5 km. in length, is the best bathing beach. It is flat and covered with soft golden sand.

Fanyin Cave (Cave of Buddhist Sound)

It is sandwiched in between two steep cliffs of some 100-m. in height. The cave, as deep as 100 meters, winds it's way towards the sea. When the sea swells, the waters pour into the cave with thunderous roars. A stone stair leads from the mountain top to a rock platform built into the cave wall, half way above the bottom with a marvelous view of the sea.

Mt.Emei lies in the southern area of Sichuan basin in China. Mt. Emei is one of the four sacred Buddhist Mountains in China. It is said that Mt. Emei derived its name from two peaks which face each other and look like eyebrows. The whole mountain range extends over 200 kilometers in length and breadth. Ever since the introduction of Buddhism into China in the 1st century AD, Buddhist buildings have been built on the mountain. Now there are more than one hundred temples and monasteries. It is known as the place of Buddhist Rites of Puxian.

Mt. Emei is rich in natural and cultural heritage and carries several monikers: "Kingdom of Plants"," Paradise of Animals"," Geological Museum", "Buddhist Celestial Mountain" and is particularly famous for the title, " Elegance of Mt.Emei Under The Sun". The Four Wonders of Mt.Emei are the Golden Summit Sunrise, sea of clouds, Buddha's Halo and the Holy Lamp. The main attractions include the Baoguo Temple, Fuhu Temple, Leiyin Temple and many other spots. In 1996, Mt. Emei and the Grand Buddha in Leshan were included in the List of the World Famous Cultural Relics.

One passes through four seasons in a day in the 5 kilometers from the base to the summit. The hike takes most people a full day up and a full day back down; the monasteries along the way and at the top offer overnight accommodations for travelers at reasonable prices. As you make your way up, expect to encounter plenty of pilgrims trudging their way steadily upward. The stamina of some of the older pilgrims is sure to surprise you. The monkeys aren't really dangerous, but it's probably better to appease them.

Mt.Emei is one of the most attractive tourist attractions. It lies 150 kilometers away from Chengdu, 130 kilometers from the Shuangliu International Airport and only 28 kilometers from Leshan city.

Wutai Mountain has the longest and most prestigious history in the four well-known Buddhist holy lands and the only mountain where both Chinese Buddhism and Tibetan Lamaism are practiced. For hundreds of years, Wutai Mountain has been China's most sacred Buddhist ground mainly because it was where the highly revered Manjusri, the Bodhisattva of wisdom, once lived and taught Buddhism. As the most trusted aide of Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, he drew emperors from various dynasties here on pilgrimages, adding more significance to the mountain.

Wutai Mountain is a famous scenic spot under national protection.

Located in Shanxi Province's Wutai Country, 240 kilometers from the provincial capital of Taiyuan, the mountain is actually a cluster of five terrace-like peaks, hence the name Wutai(Five Terraces). Its cool and pleasant summer climate has also given rise to another name: Qingliang(Cool and Pleasant) Mountain. The mountain has been regarded as an ideal place for escaping summer heat since ancient times. During the reign of the Emperor Mingdi of the Eastern Han dynasty (25-220), people started to cut into the mountain and build temples there. In later dynasties building and repairing of the temple continued, which resulted in a large complex of ancient structures. In its heyday, the mountain had over 300 temples housing more than 10,000 monks. Today, 47 of these temples are still in good condition. Within their walls is a rich legacy of over 100,000 superb sculptures and paintings, along with a great quantity of Buddhist cultural relics.

With a history of 1,200 years, the main hall of the Nanchan Temple on the mountain, which houses 17 painted figurines, is the earliest wooden structure of its kind preserved in China today. And it's a real treasure of China. Its eaves stretch out, and the hall has not a single column. Its outer appearance looks simple and its structure concise. The smallest of all the temples in the Wutai Mountain area is Nanchan Temple near Lijiazhuang Village, 22 kilometers southwest of Wutai. The Buddha statues in the hall are vividly sculpted and lifelike, and in terms of Tang Dynasty art, they are similar in style to those found in the Mogao Grottos in Dunhuang.

A set of 108 stone steps leads to a Qing-dynasty memorial archway supported by four pillars to Zhenrong Temple, which is also called Pusading (Bodhisattva Summit) Temple, on Lingjiu Peak behind Xiantong. On the tablet at the top of the archway are four characters reading "Lingfeng Holy Ground" in the hand-writing of Emperor Kangxi(1662-1722). It is said that once you have walked up the stone steps and entered the Lingfeng Holy Ground, all your worries will disappear.

Further up is a section of road called the Imperial Path - a sloped road with nine dragons carved along its center. It is said that during the Qing-dynasty(1644-1911) only emperors were allowed to tread on the carved dragons. The steps lead into the temple courtyard, where the roofs of all the halls are covered with glazed yellow tiles. In the courtyard are various stelae erected under emperors' decrees, carved with the grandeur and magnificence only associated with imperial palaces. Bodhisattva Summit Temple actually looks like a miniature version of the Potala Palace in Lhasa, therefore it also called Lama Palace.

In both the front and rear courtyards are several copper cauldrons over two meters in diameter. Every year on the 14th day of the sixth lunar month a grand birthday ceremony is staged for Manjusri, when these cauldrons are used to cook rice and steam buns for all the lamas on Wutai Mountain.