Jiuhua Mountain

Jiuhua Mountain

Jiuhua Mountain is a national-level scenic area, a national AAAAA-level tourist attraction, and a patriotic education base.

Jiuhua Mountain is located in Chizhou City, Anhui Province. It is a national-level mountain scenic area characterized by Buddhist culture and natural and cultural landscapes. It is one of China’s Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains, one of the first batch of national 5A-level tourist attractions, one of the first natural and cultural dual heritage sites in China, and the main destination within Anhui Province’s “Two Mountains and One Lake” (Jiuhua Mountain, Taihu Lake, Huangshan Mountain) tourism development strategy. The scenic area has a planned area of 120 square kilometers and a protected area of 174 square kilometers, comprising 11 major scenic zones.

Jiuhua Mountain is a masterpiece of nature’s creation—mysterious, pristine, and ethereal, often referred to as the “Lotus Kingdom of Buddhism.” The area features competing peaks, grotesque rocks, and nine main summits that resemble nine lotus flowers, each with its own unique charm. The continuous mountain ridges form a natural reclining Buddha, an exemplary fusion of natural landscape and Buddhist culture. The scenic zone is dotted with clear streams, secluded pools, waterfalls, and springs, creating refreshing and picturesque mountain-water scenes. Natural wonders such as sea of clouds, sunrises, rime frost, and Buddhist halos further enhance its ever-changing beauty, earning it the reputation of being “the most beautiful in the south of the Yangtze.”

Jiuhua Mountain enjoys a mild climate, moist soil, and a beautiful ecological environment, with a forest coverage rate of over 90%. It is home to more than 1,460 plant species and 216 rare wild animal species. Due to its ecological diversity and integrity, Jiuhua Mountain has distinct seasons, each offering different scenery. In spring, the mountains are filled with blooming flowers and birdsong; in summer, lush trees provide cool shade and valley breezes; in autumn, the forests are painted in vibrant colors, full of charm; and in winter, the landscape resembles a crystal palace, serene and otherworldly. The ever-changing seasonal beauty leaves visitors in awe.

Jiuhua Mountain is world-renowned as the sacred site of Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva, celebrated both in China and abroad. In 719 AD, Prince Kim Qiaoque of the Silla Kingdom (modern-day Korea) crossed the sea to Tang Dynasty China, settled on Jiuhua Mountain, and devoted himself to ascetic practice for 75 years before passing away at the age of 99. Due to the auspicious signs before and after his death, which closely resembled descriptions of Kṣitigarbha in Buddhist scriptures, monks revered him as the incarnation of Kṣitigarbha. Consequently, Jiuhua Mountain became established as the sacred site of Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva. Inspired by the bodhisattva’s vow—“Not until all sentient beings are liberated will I attain Buddhahood; not until all hells are empty will I become a Buddha”—temples have flourished here since the Tang Dynasty, attracting throngs of pilgrims and making its incense offerings the most renowned in the land.

Jiuhua Mountain currently has 99 temples, nearly 1,000 monks and nuns, and over 10,000 Buddha statues. Temples regularly hold Buddhist ceremonies, with the sounds of morning bells and evening drums, and the chanting of sutras filling the air. Devotees flock to the mountain to pay homage. Over the centuries, the mountain has produced many eminent monks, and naturally formed 15 preserved bodies (some claimed to be “living Buddhas”), five of which are available for viewing. Among them, the preserved body of Monk Wuxia from the Ming Dynasty was conferred the title “Incarnated Bodhisattva” by Emperor Chongzhen. The body of Nun Renyi, discovered in January 1999, is the world’s only known preserved body of a bhikkhuni. Under the naturally humid climate, the phenomenon of incorruptibility remains a mystery in life sciences, drawing widespread public attention and adding to the mountain’s solemn and mystical aura.

Tiantai Temple: Located atop the peak, this temple was historically known as Tiantai Temple. Most Buddhist pilgrims visiting Jiuhua Mountain come here to worship, calling it the “Middle Heavens World.” It is also a must-visit spot for tourists exploring Jiuhua.

Tiantai Peak: Also known as Tiantai Zhengding, this peak stands at an elevation of 1,306 meters, ranking only below Shiwang Peak and Qiuxian Peak among Jiuhua Mountain’s 99 peaks. As the main peak of Jiuhua, peaks such as Xianglu Peak, Zhufeng, Zhongfeng, and Gegufeng all lie beneath it. Pilgrims traditionally visit Tiantai Temple, leading to the saying that “a trip to Jiuhua without visiting Tiantai is a trip wasted.” The summit features attractions such as Tiantai Temple, Pengri Pavilion, and Yunxia, along with numerous temples and beautiful scenery along the way. Both travelers and pilgrims regard it as the foremost peak of Jiuhua. Major attractions include Tiantai Temple, Pengri Pavilion, and Yunxia.

Jiuhua Mountain boasts profound cultural heritage. Since the Jin and Tang Dynasties, literary giants such as Tao Yuanming, Li Bai, Fei Guanqing, Du Mu, Su Dongpo, and Wang Anshi have traveled here, composing timeless poems. Master painters like Huang Binhong, Zhang Daqian, Liu Haisu, and Li Keran have also created masterpieces here. The great Tang poet Li Bai visited Jiuhua Mountain three times, composing dozens of immortal poems praising the mountain, especially the verse “Wonderfully divided into two qi, the spiritual mountain gives birth to Jiuhua,” which became the “naming poem” of Jiuhua.

Jiuhua Mountain preserves over 2,000 cultural relics, more than 500 poems and writings by historical literati, and over 20 ruins of academies and schools. Among them, the Buddhist scriptures from the Tang Dynasty, the Buddhist canon from the Ming Dynasty, blood-written scriptures, the imperial edict of Emperor Wanli of the Ming Dynasty, and calligraphy by Emperors Kangxi and Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty are considered priceless treasures.

Jiuhua Mountain has optimized and upgraded its “food, accommodation, transportation, sightseeing, shopping, and entertainment” service system, while continuously improving new tourism elements such as “business, wellness, study, leisure, emotion, and specialty.” There are currently three 4-star hotels, seven 3-star hotels, and various restaurants and lodgings, offering over 15,000 beds. The area also features top-tier aerial cableways, ground cable cars, eco-friendly buses, yoga bases, photography spots, and a wide range of distinctive tourism merchandise, catering to the diverse needs of visitors.

The Huatai Scenic Area, composed of Greater Huatai and Lesser Huatai, is one of Jiuhua Mountain’s high-altitude scenic zones. Located at the site of the “natural reclining Buddha,” it is named for its abundance of mountain flowers and serves as the area of the scenic zone dominated by natural landscapes. A newly built elevated hiking trail opened in May 2017.

Jiuhua Mountain is situated between Nanjing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Hefei, and Huangshan. With the convergence of major transportation arteries such as the Hefei–Jiuhua–Huangshan Expressway, the Yangtze River Expressway, the Beijing–Fuzhou High-Speed Railway, and the Nanjing–Anqing High-Speed Railway at the mountain’s base, along with the launch of flights from Jiuhua Airport to cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengdu, external transportation to Jiuhua has significantly improved. Visiting Jiuhua for sightseeing or prayer has become more comfortable and convenient.

Huatai Peak stands uniquely tall, covered with abundant mountain flowers, lush trees, and uniquely shaped clever rocks resembling humans or objects with striking resemblance. The area is surrounded by ravines and clustered peaks. The zone features abrupt peaks, jagged rocks, deep valleys and caves, coiled dragon-like pines, romantic mountain flowers, and diverse, spectacular scenery.

To further enhance the quality of its scenic areas and build Jiuhua Mountain into a world-class Buddhist cultural destination, in recent years the mountain has focused on optimizing its tourism environment. Efforts have included the renovation of the Jiuhua old street and the development of the Ke Village new district. Tourism facilities have been greatly improved and the environment further refined. On the mountain, spacious pedestrian streets, newly renovated leisure squares, green ecological parking lots, humanized traffic facilities, and star-rated public toilets offer visitors a convenient, comfortable, and efficient experience. At the mountain’s base, the 99-meter-tall bronze statue of Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva, the bright visitor service center building, rows of ready-to-go tourist vehicles, and the bustling shops along the streets form a vibrant and dynamic tourism scene, highlighting personalized, humanized, and themed travel experiences.

Source: Jiuhua Mountain Scenic Area Management Committee

The Huatai Scenic Area, as one of Jiuhua Mountain’s core scenic zones and the heart of the Jiuhua Mountain National Forest Park and Geopark, is situated in the central part of Jiuhua Mountain, covering an area of 10 square kilometers. The area features magnificent scenery and is renowned for its peculiar peaks, grotesque rocks, sea of clouds, rime frost, and vast fields of flowers, earning the saying “The spiritual Jiuhua, its beauty lies in Huatai.” From April to October each year, the area displays the most concentrated variety of rare alpine azaleas in China, with red, yellow, white, and purple blooms vying for attention amidst rugged cliffs, resembling a “heavenly flower market” and forming a stunning landscape painting.

The area’s unique geological formations naturally create Jiuhua Mountain’s most famous “natural reclining Buddha” spectacle. The summit of Huatai Zhengding is the highest point in the scenic area. From the top, visitors can enjoy a panoramic view of Jiuhua Mountain and even get up close to the “reclining Buddha,” listening to the “Buddha’s voice” and experiencing the wonder of being near this mystical figure, believed to bestow blessings and a sense of spiritual energy.

The true body of Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva—Jiuhua Mountain’s Monthly Body (Corpse) Palace. The Corpse Hall is the burial site of the Venerable Jin Qiaoque’s body, also called the Kṣitigarbha Pagoda. Jiuhua Mountain is inseparable from the names of Golden Kṣitigarbha and Kim Qiaoque.

The Corpse Hall is a typical palatial-style building, located atop Shenguang Ridge to the west of Jiuhua Mountain’s old street. It is surrounded by ancient trees providing dense shade. The hall is 15 meters tall, with its main gate facing southwest. Its red walls are solemn and imposing. To enter the hall, visitors must climb 81 steps. From the base of the steps, looking up, two horizontal plaques can be seen above the southern gate. The upper plaque reads “Corpse Treasure Hall” in regular script, with a vertical board surrounded by three-dimensional floral patterns and no signature. The lower plaque reads “Southeast’s Number One Mountain” in running script, inscribed in the leap seventh month of the eighth year of the Republic of China (1919) by Shi Yuzao from Qingyang, with the attribution: “Devotees Dong Hai and Dong Fu from Ciyu County, Zhejiang, feeling deeply moved by the divine power of Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva, contributed to fulfill their long-held wishes.”

The Corpse Treasure Hall is located on Shenguang Ridge, a national key temple and a cultural relic protection unit of Anhui Province. Originally built during the Tang Dynasty’s Zhenyuan era, it initially consisted of a three-story stone pagoda that housed the body of Kṣitigarbha, commonly called the Corpse Pagoda or “Kṣitigarbha Tomb.” The pagoda site was said to emit radiant light, leading later generations to name the area Shenguang Ridge. By the Song Dynasty, a pagoda courtyard was built, and in the Ming Dynasty, a hall was constructed around the pagoda to protect it, creating a grand structure that has been maintained through subsequent dynasties.

Zhayan Temple is located east of Yingxian Bridge on the western foothills of Jiuhua Mountain’s eastern cliff, and is the foremost among Jiuhua’s Four Great Monasteries (Zhayan, Dongya, Baishou, and Ganlu). Originally built during the Ming Jiajing era (1522–1566), it was initially named “Zhishu Nunnery.”

The temple complex consists of nine individual structures: the Spirit Palace, Maitreya Hall, Mahavira Hall, Guest Hall, Ordination Hall, Monastic Storage, Retired Monks’ Quarters, Abbot’s Quarters, and Guangming Lecture Hall. The total floor area is 5,175 square meters. Except for the Maitreya Hall and Mahavira Hall, which are palatial-style buildings, the rest are residential-style. The temple’s halls are layered and intricately arranged, showcasing exquisite structure and majestic presence. The most distinctive is the Spirit Official Hall, symbolizing the integration of Buddhism and Taoism in Chinese culture, evident in its architectural design.

The first hall of Zhayan Temple is not the Heavenly King Hall but the Spirit Official Hall. The shrine enshrines a spirit official clad in golden armor, with a red face, bushy beard, round fierce eyes, a wide-open mouth, and a small third eye on the forehead, said to be able to “see all under heaven.”

Huacheng Temple is built in a highland basin, facing Furong Peak to the south, backed by Baiyun Mountain to the north, adjacent to Dongya Cliff to the east, and bordering Shenguang Ridge to the west. Surrounded on all sides like a city, ancient people described it as “peaks encircling inward and outward, as if embracing a jade lotus.”

Huacheng Temple is the founding temple and principal monastery of Jiuhua Mountain. Legend says that in 401 AD, during the Jin Dynasty’s Long’an fifth year, the Indian monk Cuphade built a hut here. During the Tang Kaiyuan era, the monk Tan resided here, and the temple was named “Huacheng.” In the second year of the Jianzhong era (781 AD), Chizhou Prefect Zhang Yan petitioned the court to transfer the old name “Huacheng” to this temple. In the tenth year of the Zhenyuan era (794 AD), after the 99-year-old Kim Qiaoque passed away, monks regarded him as the incarnation of Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva, and thus Huacheng Temple became established as a Kṣitigarbha sacred site. In the late Southern Song Dynasty, the abbot Guangzong, later known as “Guanchuan Chan Master,” presided over the temple.

Huacheng Temple follows a four-courtyard architectural layout. The first courtyard is the Spirit Official Hall, 16.5 meters deep and five bays wide, with two small wells and side rooms. Its platform is 3.7 meters higher than the ground. The second courtyard is the Heavenly King Hall, 20 meters wide and 20.5 meters deep, with an open hall and a central drain. It has side corridors on the east and west. The caisson ceiling above the hall is adorned with a circle of painted panels resembling a starry sky, featuring precise structure and exquisite design. Its platform is 1.5 meters higher than the first courtyard. The third courtyard is the Mahavira Hall, 20.5 meters deep. The lintel above the hall’s door features a water-patterned lattice design.

Zhantanlin, a national key Buddhist temple also known as "Zhantan Chanlin," is located southwest of Jiuhua Street. Originally built during the Qing Dynasty's Kangxi era, it was one of the seventy-two monastic quarters of Huacheng Temple. The temple still stood during the Daoguang period but was destroyed in warfare during the Xianfeng era. In the twelfth year of the Guangxu reign (1886), Monk Dingshan raised funds to rebuild it.

Changsheng An, along with Long An and Xinlong An, are Qing Dynasty structures featuring a neat arrangement of residential-style buildings. A long courtyard wall separates the temples from the street, creating a tranquil atmosphere. In 1998, Bhikkhuni Guode constructed a new mountain gate hall in front of the temple, followed by the addition of a seven-story bronze Thousand Buddha Pagoda, adding brilliance to the ancient site. Outside the walls of the three temples lies an old, rustic street about 50 meters long and less than 2 meters wide. The narrow alley is flanked by two-story residences, with a stone-paved path in the middle, complete with narrow lanes, ancient wells, and wooden doors—all preserving their historic charm. Stepping out of this old street and climbing the stone steps leads to Shen'guang Ling, the "Sacred Light Ridge" where a radiant halo was once said to have appeared.

Changsheng An is a key Buddhist temple in Anhui Province. It is situated east of Long An and was built in the early Ming Dynasty. During the Hongzhi era, the abbot Shi’an had interactions with the visiting scholar Wang Shouren, who composed a poem for him: “Never before have I seen such radiant splendor, nor known the perfectly round form. Green bamboos and yellow flowers—what need is there to speak of Penglai or Fangzhang? Behold the King Kṣitigarbha of Jiuhua Mountain, whose virtuous descendants include Monk Shi’an. Ah, such marvels defy the brush and paint.” During the Qing Dynasty's Kangxi period, it was one of the western monastic quarters of Huacheng Temple.

The Ancient Sutra-Worshipping Platform is located at the foot of Tiantai Peak, about 2 Chinese miles from Guanyin Peak. The path to Tiantai winds around the temple. Originally built during the Tang Dynasty, the temple initially consisted of a narrow complex of three courtyards in a residential architectural style. After renovations across dynasties, it now covers an area of 898 square meters. The entire structure is simple and elegant, with harmonious styling, and is hailed as a pearl of the Buddhist realm. It is a key Buddhist temple in Anhui Province. Legend has it that the bodhisattva Kṣitigarbha once recited the Avatamsaka Sutra here, leaving behind a pair of indented footprints on the rock. Monks built the temple in his memory and named it "Dayuan An" (the Bodhisattva Kṣitigarbha is referred to in Buddhism as the "Bodhisattva of the Great Vow").

Further Reading:

· First Batch of National Scenic Areas

Jiuzi Rock

Qiyuan Temple on Jiuhua Mountain

Huacheng Temple on Jiuhua Mountain

Zhantanlin

Tiantai Temple

Long An

Changsheng An

Diaqiao An

Gengliting

Chengrentang

Baishou Palace on Jiuhua Mountain

Tianzhu Peak Scenic Area on Jiuhua Mountain

Huixiang Pavilion

Little Tiantai

Tianchi An

Huatian Temple