Travel Guide to Mount Emei Index Page
Welcome to Mount Emei, we try our best to offer useful informations for Tourists.
General information
Mount Emei is located at mysterious north latitude of about 30°, which is at the southwest of Sichuan Basin. With the characteristics of “magnificence, grotesque”and profound Buddhist culture, Mount Emei is the world natural and cultural heritages.
Mount Emei is composed of high area, medium area and low area of tourism spots. Due to the unique geological features, and the obvious vertical distributions of plants, animals, soil, and climate, Mount Emei is named as “the Kingdom of Plants”, “Animals Paradise”and “Geological Museum”, as well as “Mount Emei the Top in the World”. Zhou Hongmo, the poet of Ming Dynasty praised it in a poem,”The scenery of Mount Emei is the top of the world, no need to travel to Peng Lai in Shandong province.”
Highlights of Mount Emei
Buddhist Sacred Land
Mount Emei is one of the Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains of China, which is famous at home and abroad for “Buddhism Resort”and “Bodhisattva and Temples”. At the middle of 1st century AD, Buddhism was transported to Mount Emei from India through the south Silk Road, and Pugong established Puguang Temple at Jinding. At 3rd century AD, Buddha belief became popular among the mountain. Chinese monks established Puxian Temple (Wannian Temple nowadays) under the Guanxin Slope, and it becomes Buddha Temple till today. In Mount Emei tourist spot, there are over 30 temples,including eight famous temples: Baoguo Temple, Fuhu Temple, Qingyin Pavilion, Wannian Temple, Hong Chunping, Xianfeng Temple, Xixiang Pool and Huazang Temple. All these temples are like shining gems embedded on Mount Emei, presenting the profound history of Buddhist culture of Mount Emei.
Animals and Plants Kingdom
Mount Emei is always covered by green trees all year round, and the average temperature difference is 14℃ between the top and the foot of the mountain. There is a saying, “there are four seasons on the mountain and the weather is changing in different altitude.”Additionally, due to the low clouds, heavy frost and rich rainfalls, it is the kingdom of various plants and animals.
There are over 5000 kinds of plants, equaling the total amount of plants in Europe. From which, Shaluo and Hongtong are the State First Level Protection Plants, and other 103 kinds of plants are named after “Emei”.
There are over 2300 kinds of wild animals, 29 kinds of the first-national protection animals, such as Emei Tibetan macaque, butterfly, Emei mustache toad, black stork, playing frog, panda, Emei silver pheasant,
blue throat sunbird, red Tragopan and so on.
Saint Light
Saint Light appears at middle night. Under Sheshen Cliff, sometimes a little light like fireflies in the valley gradually gather together. In the dark valley, the light can be partly visible and partly invisible, which somehow scatter in darkness. Buddhist takes it as “Saint Light”(thousands of clear light for Budhisattva), which is much harder to be seen than “Buddha Light”. There are other places besides Jinding for tourists to enjoy “Saint Light”, like Lingyan Temple, Fuhu Temple, Hua Yanding, and Xixiang Pool, but the best choice is Jinding.
Appreciate Time: dark night without moon (the end or the beginning of the month in lunar calendar), or after raining
Monkeys in Mount Emei
“Monkey King”in Mount Emei is world-famous, and they are truly the masters of Mount Emei. They walk on the mountainous path, show no fear before tourists, rob tourists’ food, water, and behave “rudely”. Though these monkeys rob tourists’ stuff, they are the symbol of Mount Emei, and become an necessary part of Emei traveling.