Emeishan

Emeishan Introduction

MT. Emei is about 160 kilometers southwest of Chengdu, Sichuan Province. It extends for over a hundred kilometers and resembles the fine eyebrow of an ancient Chinese beauty from afar. There are ten beautiful scenic spots o­n Emei. The sun, moon, clouds, snow, water, trees, bridges and temples in these places all compose their own unique and fantastic pictures. The more fortunate visitors can enjoy the four great wonders of Mt. Emei, which are the sunrise, the sea of clouds, the Buddha's Halo, and the sacred lamp, from the Jinding (Golden Summit), about 3,077 meters above sea level.
Mt. Emei boasts unique natural and cultural charms, such as the Wannian Temple, which has been designated a state-level protected site by the State Council. o­n December 6, 1996, Mt. Emei was included in UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage.
Geological processes going back over hundreds of millions of years have created the unique topography of Mt. Emei, and cultivated its rich plant and wildlife. Over 3,000 species of wild plant grow o­n the mountain, including the Chinese dove tree, which has already become extinct in other parts of the world. The flower of the Chinese dove tree takes the shape of a pigeon, and when in full bloom, gives the impression of a flock of pigeons flying in and around the tree. The lesser panda and the gnu are just two of the rare animal species that live o­n the mountain.
Mt. Emei is a sacred Buddhist site, and has a Buddhist history of over 1,500 years. It is said that during the 15th century, there were as many as 1,000 monks living o­n Mt. Emei. According to the records inscribed o­n a number of stone tablets, an eminent Indian monk came to spread the Buddhist doctrine as early as the 4th century. Later, Emperor Mingdi of the Eastern Han Dynasty ordered that Puguang Hall o­n the mountain be expanded into a temple, setting a precedent for the imperial court to construct temples o­n Mt. Emei. From that time o­nwards, emperors of succeeding dynasties all endowed celebrated temples and eminent monks o­n the mountain with their gifts. Today, it still houses numerous relics of poems, couplets (written o­n scrolls and hung o­n the pillars of a hall), and inscriptions bestowed by emperors and scholars of ancient times.
Samantbhadra, God of Universal Benevolence and disciple of Sakyamuni, was said to have lectured here. Most of the temples o­n Mount Emei have a statue of Samantbhadra at the shrine. There were o­nce more than a hundred temples and monasteries o­n the mountain, but o­nly about twenty remain today, including the following better-known o­nes: Devotion to the Country Temple (Baoguosi), Ten-Thousand-Year Temple (Wanniansi), and Immortal Peak Temple (Xianfengsi), and the temple at Elephant Bath Pond (Xixiangchi)

Devotion to the Country Temple at the foot of Mount Emei is the first scenic site visitors come upon o­n the mountain. The four-hall structure, built during the sixteenth century, is surrounded by a quiet and beautiful area.

The summit of Mount Emei commands a grand view of rolling mountain peaks, sometimes visible, sometimes emerging from the clouds like small islands in an enormous ocean. This is the famous "sea of clouds" view of mount Emei. Walking downhill from the summit for about three hours, you will come across Elephant Bath Pond. According to the old legend, Samantbhadra, Sakyamuni's disciple, o­nce bathed his elephant in this pool before continuing his ascent of Mount Emei or, as others say, before flying to heaven o­n the elephant's back. Monkeys live in the vicinity; they often approach visitors to beg for food.

Immortal Peak Temple was built 1,700 meters above sea level o­n the slope of Mount Emei. Next to the temple is a big cave where, as the legend goes, the Yellow Emperor who was visiting the place met a white-haired old man who had a young face. The emperor asked him if he had any company, and the old man replied, yes, there are eight others in the cave. Since then, the cave has been called the Nine Elders Cave (Jiulaodong).

Five kilometers downhill from Immortal Peak Temple, there stands the Clear Sound Pavilion (Qingyinge), another well-known scenic site o­n Mount Emei. Below Clear Sound Pavilion, there are Double Flying Pavilion (Shuangfeige) and Double Flying bridge (Shuangfeiqiao). The nearby White Dragon Cave (Bailongdong) is said to have been the place where Lady Bai Suzhen, a legendary nymph who was originally a white snake but later became a beautiful girl, cultivated her magic skills

Emeishan Traffic

by air
It is about 120 kilometers from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport to Mt.Emei. When you reach the airport, you may spend an hour and a half by coach in Xin Nan Men Bus Station.

by train
First option:You can by train to Chengdu Railway Station,then you may by coach to Mt.Emei in Xin Nan Men Bus Station. Second option:You can by train to Emei Railway Station. Emei Railway Station is located in Emei city. It is about 10 kilometers from Emei Bus Station to Mt.Emei,so you may spend 15 minutes by car to get there.
By bus
The expressway from Chengdu to Mt.emei has been put into operation in dec.1999, with the total length 169km and about two hours driving. Travelers can catch bus easily at Xinnanmen
bus station (Chengdu tour bus center)from 7:10 to 18:10everyday. Buses leave every 20 minutes.
Inside transportation
As travelers arrived Mt.emei, there are three routes to enjoy the mountain. The first choice is taking a hiking route, which takes three days. The other two choices is making use of
local sightseeing bus and cable car. More details are given in Guide of Mt.emei. What we have to remind you is, there are time limits of tour buses and cable cars.
Shunfeng taxi company Tel :0833—5534222
　Jinding taxi company Tel :0833—5531555
　Fenghuang taxi company Tel :833—5547666
　Emei railway station ---Emei urban: taxi fare : 10 yuan
　Emei urban—Baoguo temple : taxi fare : 10 yuan

Emeishan Festivals

Chaoshan fair (lunar March to April)
Buddhist ceremonies and tour are the main contents of the chaoshan fair which is held in May of each year, the duration is about seven days . monks from home and abroad will be invited to organize a sery of activities : temple fairs, pilgrimage, prayer and so o­n.
wangzhan mingdeng gong puxian

on the first and fifteenth day of every lunar month , monks will scrafice the puxian in Wangnian temple.
Puxian is regarded as o­ne of the four well-known Bodhisattvas of China's Buddhism. Legend has it that Mt. Emei in Sichuan is the place where he performs the Buddhist rites. Puxian and Wenshu appear in a pair in suppirt of Sakymuni. They usually stand side by side with Sakymuni. The middle. Puxian is the right attendant. He rides a white elephant, and Wenshu a lion as we often see in monasteries. Wenshu is a symbol of Wisdom while Puxian Benevolence. Buddhism encourages its followers to study hard at the Buddhist theory, and then use what they have learnt to do charitable works for the purpose of salvaging the suffering creatures.

Emeishan Service Telephones

Public service hotline
Mayor Hotline: 12345
Traffic police stations: 122
Consumer complaint hotline: 12315
Jinding Taxi Company: 5531555
Shunfeng taxi companies: 5534222
Telecom customer service hotline
China Telecom customer hotline: 10000
China Telecom search number: 114

Emei telecommunications obstacles mend phone
Hospital hotline
Emeishan City Hospital hotline: 120
Emeishan city Chinese medicine hospital: 5555555
Emeishan City Red Cross Hospital: 5552193