Mount Emei
Brief Description
The first Buddhist temple in China was built here in Sichuan Province in the 1st century A.D. in the beautiful surroundings of the summit Mount Emei. The addition of other temples turned the site into one of Buddhism's holiest sites. Over the centuries, the cultural treasures grew in number.
The most remarkable is the Giant Buddha of Leshan, carved out of a hillside in the 8th century and looking down on the confluence of three rivers. At 71 m high, it is the largest Buddha all over the world. Mount Emei is also notable for its exceptionally diverse vegetation, ranging from subtropical to subalpine pine forests. Some of the trees there are more than 1,000 years old.
Mt. Emei is located in Leshan City, Sichuan Province. It is towering, beautiful, old and mysterious. Mt. Emei is like a huge green screen standing in the southwest of the Chengdu Plain. Looking its winding and beautiful figure, you will find that it resembles very much an eyebrow of a girl. It is the highest one among all the famous sight-seeing mountains in China. In Mt. Emei there are four scenic regions: Baoguo Temple, Wannian Temple, Qingyin Pavilion and Golden Summit. Its main peak, the Golden Summit, is 3079.3 meters (10,103 feet) above the sea level, seemingly reaching the sky. Standing on the top of it, you can enjoy the snowy mountains in the west and the vast plain in the east. In addition in Golden Summit there are four spectacles: clouds sea, sunrise, Buddha rays and saint lamps. In 1996 Mt. Emei was enlisted in the world natural and cultural heritage by the UNESCO.
The trees are verdant almost all the year round; the waterfalls are splendid; the whole scenery is beautiful and quiet. The landscape varies according to the seasons, the height of mountain and the climate.
Mt. Emei is well-known for its enjoyable natural scenery, extensive Buddhist culture, abundant range of species and unique landform. Thus it gets such titles as 'Kingdom of Plants', 'Geological Museum', 'Animals' Paradise' and 'Buddhist Celestial Mountain'.
Florid Natural Scenery
Going into the mountain, you can see continuous ranges of peaks and tall trees covering on them. Water flows swiftly as if it were flying. Birds are singing and pretty butterflies are dancing. In spring, all the creatures are burgeoning and the whole mountain is in a fresh green coat; in summer, beautiful flowers are blooming one after another in a way of competition; in autumn, the entire Mt. Emei is decorated by the red leaves which make the mountain so amazing that it is far beyond your imagination; in winter, it is covered by snow like a pure bride with white wedding dress.
Profound Buddhist Culture
Mt. Emei is one of the four celebrated Buddhist Mountains in China. It is said that Buddhism was brought to Mt. Emei in the first century BC. After nearly 2,000 years of development, Mt. Emei has become a place rich in Buddhist heritage, which has made it an influential sacred place in China and even in the whole world. There are vivid and exquisite statues of Buddha made of clay, wood, jade, bronze and porcelain. As one of the three genres of Chinese martial art in China, Mt. Emei has gained its reputation both at home and abroad.
Abundant Resources of Species
Mt. Emei is covered with green vegetation all the year round. Its plentiful rainfall, peculiar landform, varied climate and complicated structures of the soil provide a perfect environment for a great number of species' growth and propagation. Among the plants, here you can have the chance to admire the rare trees, many different flowers and herbs. These plants not only endow the mountain with beauty but also create a natural fairyland for the animals here. Among all the animals there are many rare species.
Mysterious Geological Museum
The splendid Mt. Emei was created by the Himalayan mountain-building movement and the later uplift of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It contains geological features of all the periods following the Cambrian period. The special geological feature is the precondition of the growth of various species and beautiful sceneries.