Mount Emei in Sichuan

Why is Sichuan Mount Emei So Special?

  1. Mount Emei, also Emeishan Mountain, is one of the Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains of China and regarded as the Bodhimanda, or place of enlightenment, of the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra (Pu Xian Pu Sa普贤菩萨 in Chinese).
  2. Mount Emei has been inscribed as a World Heritage Site for its enchanting scenic beauty, and great spiritual and cultural importance because of its role in the introduction of Buddhism into China.
  3. Mount Emei is famous for its steep terrain and beautiful natural scenery. Emeishan is abundant in natural scenery and resource, which is called as the “Kingdom of Plants”, “Paradise of Animals” and “Museum of Geological Reserves”. 

Brief Introduction of Mount Emei

Mount Emei Scenic Area, located in the southwestern part of the basin of Sichuan province, it is 7 kilometers away from Emeishan city, and the city of Emeishan is 156 kilometers from Chengdu, 34 kilometers from Leshan city. It is a national scenic area and listed in the World Cultural and Natural Heritage Sites together with Leshan Giant Buddha.

Actually, Mount Emei consists of four mountains: Da’e, Er’e, San’e and Si’e. But Mount Emei, which people usually travel to, refers to the Da’e Mountain. Emeishan Scenic Area covers about 115 Square Kilometers. The highest peak is Wanfoding which is 3099 meters high.

Emeishan is abundant in natural scenery and resource, which is called as the “Kingdom of Plants”, “Paradise of Animals” and “Museum of Geological Reserves”. However, Emeishan is not only famous for its steep terrain and beautiful natural scenery, but also famous for its profound Buddhist culture. As one of the four most sacred Buddhist Mountains in China, there are more than 30 Buddhist temples in the Mount Emei, such as Baoguo Temple, Fuhu Temple and Xixiang Temple.

Main Attractions of the Mount Emei

Baoguo Temple (报国寺)

It is the No.1 Buddhist temple Mount Emei Scenic Area. Among the countless temples in Emei Mount, Baoguo Temple is the entrance of it. It is the start of Mount Emei as an important passageway that you must pass when climbing up to the Emei Mountain. With many historical relics in the temple, while visiting the Bao Guo Temple, you can appreciate these historical relics at the same time such as famous colorful glaze porcelain Buddha. The quiet environment and the dense religious atmosphere make it as a charming site for tourists to get touch with the Chinese Buddhism.

Wannian Temple (万年寺)

Meaning thousands of years temple in Chinese, it is located in the Mount Emei. This temple is one of the major temples in Mount Emei. It is said that there is a kind of special small frog on the Emei Mountain in the rectangle pond at the right side inside the Wannian Temple. In quiet evening, they will release pleasant sound all the year. All who have heard the sound describe this kind of frog as “Playing Instrument Frog”.

Qingyin Pavilion (清音阁)

Qingyin Pavilion looms in Niuxin Mountain, with Heilong River in its left and Bailong River in its right. At confluence canyon there is one black stones, shaped like a cattle heart, therefore the stone is called the Niuxin Stone (cattle heart stone). Under the pavilion there are two Flybridges, and Shuangfei Pavilion stand between the two bridge, two clear streams rush through the bridge.

The Golden Summit (金顶)

 It is the highlight of Mount Emei, an important attraction integrating the temples and scenic sites together. In 1983, it was classified as one of the national Han Chinese Buddhist temples. As a wondrous sight-seeing platform and the biggest pilgrimage centre of Chinese Buddhists, it has been crowned as a scenic masterpiece in the Chinese World.

It was constructed during the Eastern Han Dynasty and has been rebuilt several times after being struck by lightning. Golden Summit is in a height of 3,078 meters above the sea level. When standing here, tourists will find that clouds are lower than the peak which ensures to savor the exotic exciting scenes such as magnificent sunrise, clouds sea, mysterious Buddha rays, as well as the holy Saint Lamps.

Top 10 Sceneries of the Mount Emei

The ten old sceneries of Mount Emei include the Lucky Light at the Golden Summit, the Moonlit Night in Elephant Pool, the Godly House of Nine Sages, the Morning Rain at Hongchun, the Snow on the Daping Peak, the Autumnal Sound at the Double Bridge, the Autumn Wind over the Baishui Pool, the Clouds of Sea on the Luo Peak, the Smoke Cloud in the Thunder Cave, the Jade Bamboo Shoot and the Evening Bell of Shengji.

 
The ten new sceneries of the mountain include the Golden Buddha on Golden Summit, Ten Thousand Buddhas, the Dengxiaoping’s Praise of the Mountain, the Monkeys in Tranquil Valley, Soft Music from Peaceful Lake, the First Pavilion on the Cliff, the Inscriptions on Precipices, the Most Beautiful Waterfall in the world, the Meeting Square and the Staring Point of Great Mountains.

Recommended Pilgrimage Hiking Routes

Route A: Dafo Temple – Baoguo Temple – Fuhu Temple – Leiyin Temple – Chunyang Palace – Shengshui Temple – Zhongfeng Temple – Guangfu Temple – Qingyin Pavilion – Hongchunping – Xianfeng Temple – Yuxian Temple – Xixiangchi – Leidongping – Jieyin Hall – Taiziping – Golden Summit Huazang Temple;

Route B: Dafo Temple – Baoguo Temple – Fuhu Temple – Leiyin Temple – Chunyang Palace – Shengshui Temple – Zhongfeng Temple – Guangfu Temple – Qingyin Pavilion – Wannian Temple – Xixin Temple – Chu Hall – Huayanding – Xixiangchi – Leidongping – Jieyin Hall – Taiziping – Golden Summit Huazang Temple;

Route C: Dafo Temple – Baoguo Temple & sightseeing bus to Qingyin Pavilion – Bailong Cave – Wannian Temple – Xixin Temple – Chu Hall – Huayanding – Xixiangchi – Leidongping – Jieyin Hall – Taiziping – Golden Summit Huazang Temple;

Route D: Dafo Temple – sightseeing bus to Wannian Temple – sightseeing bus to Leidongping – Jieyin Hall – cableway to Golden Summit Huazang Temple.

Best Seasons to Visit Mount Emei

The best time to visit Emeishan is in Spring and Autumn. In Spring, the mountian is carpeted with azalea blossoms. As you  enjoy the beautiful flowers, you can also join the Buddhist Temple Worship Festival which are held from March to April. In addition, you can taste the the fresh green tea in spring. In Autumn, the red leaves  represent the autumn scenic view. The autum in Emeishan Mountain is short, only from the middle of September to the end of October. The tree leaves turn yellow first and then turn red. You can stand on the top of the mountain to overlook the valley, the view is spectacular.

How to get to The Mount Emei

Travel with ChinaDragonTours (top recommended)

If you want to get out of the traffic and hassle of navigation, you can book a private tour package that includes visiting, dining and transfer from us. Our local guide and driver will escort you to Mount Emei in Sichuan in the fastest and most convenient way and take care of all the details. You just have to focus on the visiting.

Independent Traveler

  • How to get to Mount Emei from Chengdu
    By Train: Take a Chengdu-Leshan-Emeishan Intercity High-Speed Train or Shuangliu Airport – Emeishan Train to Emeishan Station, and then change to bus 5A, 8 or tourism bus to this site.
    By Long-Distance Bus: Take a bus from Xinnanmen Bus Station to Emeishan Tourism Bus Center (Baoguo Temple Bus Station) at the foot of Mount Emei, and then walk to the entrance. The bus departs once full occupied from 07:20 to 19:35. Its duration is about 2.5 – 3 hours and ticket fare is CNY51.
  • How to get to Mount Emei from Leshan
    By Train: Take a train from Leshan Railway Station to Emeishan Station, and then transfer to bus to get here.
    By Long-Distance Bus: Take a bus from Xiaoba Bus Station to Baoguo Temple Bus Station and then walk to the entrance. The bus departs once fully occupied from 07:30 to 18:00. Ticket fare is CNY11 and duration is about one hour.
    By Chartered Bus: There are many private mini-buses sending passengers to this scenic spot from Leshan downtown or Giant Buddha scenic area. The fare is about CNY20-30 per passenger and duration is about one hour. Please note that Mount Emei is not located in Emeishan City area and one should confirm the driver will send you to the mountain scenic area before boarding.

Useful Travel Tips

  1. Food
    In Emeishan city down town, there are many small restaurants providing delicious and authentic local food. It is convenient and easy for you to find a great restaurant to try Emei food.
    In Emeishan Scenic Area, there are mainly three choices available for you to have a meal. Firstly, you can choose to have a meal in a restaurant. These restaurants are mainly located in Baoguosi Temple, Qingyin Temple, Xixiang Temple, Leidongping, etc.
    Secondly, you can have a meal in a temple. Most of the temples in Emeishan offer vegetarian meals at 6:30am, 11:30am and 17:30pm.
    The third choice is to prepare some food by yourself, such as Biscuits, chocolate, engery bars, etc. And you can replenish energy as soon as possible during your traveling.
  2. Accommodation to visit Mt.Emei:
    By Shuttle Bus
    It is the most convenient way to spend the long journey to the scenic areas at the higher mountian area by shuttle bus. The shuttle bus is Emeishan departs from the Tourist Station at the food of Mt.Emei and drive up to Wannian Temple with five stops, including Baoguosi Bus Station, Wuxianggang Bus Station, Wanniansi Bus Station, Linggongli Bus Station and Leidongping Bus Station.
    By Cable Car
    There are two cable car routes that avaliable in Emei Mountain. One is Wanniansi Cable Car from Wanniansi Car Park to Wanniansi Temple. The other is Jinding Cable Car from Leidongping to the Golden Submit.

Nearby Attractions

Edited by Bella Ren/任新月