Travel Destinations: Emei Shan, China

Emei Shan offers a cooler retreat from the sweltering heat of the Sichuan basin. It lies 130km southwest of Chengdu and is one of the four famous Buddhist mountains, the others being Putuoshan, Wutai Shan and Jiuhua Shan.

The scenery here is something out of a fantasy movie with tea tree plantations and temples scattered around. On rare afternoons you may see the phenomenon known as Buddha’s Aureole where rainbow rings attach themselves to an individual’s shadow in a cloud bank below the summit. Buddhist monks, devout in their beliefs, believed that this was a call from beyond and would jump off the Cliff of Self-Sacrifice.

The best times to visit Emei Shan are between May and October as hiking in winter has its problems. In November snow generally starts to fall on the upper slopes but mist and cloud cover are common throughout the year.

The most popular routes up the mountain is via Long Life Monastery, Chu Temple and Elephant Bathing Pool. There are buses that go up the mountain from the station in Baoguo village. A popular route is to take a bus to Wuxiangang until you reach Jingshui. Here you can catch a cable car to Long Life Monastery.

You will need plenty of time to climb Emei Shan –it is a very hard climb. You can reach Long Life Monastery and back down to Declare Nation Temple within two days but be prepared to spend a good portion of that time hiking.

There are many sites to see as you climb up Emei Shan. Long Lie Monastery (Wannian Si) is the oldest temple on Emei Shan and was reconstructed in the ninth century. The Bodhisattva Puxian, the protector of the mountain, is to whom the temple is dedicated to. There is a beautiful 8.5m high statue of him on a white elephant which dates back to 980 CE, made from bronze and copper. It is said that if you rub the elephant’s hind leg that you will have good luck.

Crouching Tiger Monastery (Fuhu Si) is a hidden gem, hidden in a forest with a seven meter copper pagoda that is inscribed with Buddhist texts and illustrations.
Declare Nation Temple (Baoguo Si) is a beautiful temple dating from the 16th century. Inside you can see rare plants and a striking porcelain Buddha made in 1415.

Pure Sound Pavilion (Qingyin Ge) is beautifully named after the sound effects that are produced by the waters that course around rock formations nearby. Coming here, you can relax and appreciate the natural beauty of this area as well as enjoying yourself by swimming in the water.

Elephant Bathing Pool (Xixiang Chi) is said to be the place where Puian cleaned his elephant. Today, however, it is not quite so accommodating.

Golden Summit Temple (Jinding Si) has recently undergone renovation and is generally the furthest most travellers get to. It is covered with beautiful glazed tiles and white marble balustrades. Originally the temple had a bronze coated roof which is how it got the name Jin Ding, which can be translated as Gold Top.