Chicken Foot Mountain

Chicken Foot Mountain

Chicken Foot Mountain is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

Chicken Foot Mountain is a national AAAA-level scenic area, a renowned Buddhist holy site in South and Southeast Asia, one of China’s ten most famous Buddhist mountains, and an important attraction within the Dali Scenic Area, which is part of the national-level scenic zone. It is a multifunctional tourist destination primarily showcasing Buddhist culture and ecological landscapes, integrating religious worship, Buddhist studies, sightseeing, and scientific research. Located in Binchuan County, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, it is 86 kilometers from the ancient city of Dali and 410 kilometers from Kunming, the Spring City. Its highest peak, Tianzhu Peak, stands at an elevation of 3,248 meters, featuring towering cliffs and verdant hillsides, majestic and precipitous. The mountain gets its name from its landscape, which resembles “three front peaks and one trailing ridge, strikingly like a chicken’s foot.” Chicken Foot Mountain has a subtropical plateau monsoon climate, characterized by warm and moist conditions that feel like a perpetual spring breeze.

The mountaintop is perpetually shrouded in mist, creating a dreamlike atmosphere. The area preserves well-preserved primitive ecology and is home to dozens of rare birds and animals, forming a natural ecological system dominated by wildlife and pristine vegetation. Ancient scholars summarized the mountain’s natural scenery with the phrase “one bird, two teas, three dragons, four views, five firs, six treasures, seven beasts, and eight scenic spots.” Geographically, the Chicken Foot Mountain Scenic Area can be divided into: the Mountain Gate Tourist Zone, Zhusheng Temple Tourist Zone, Jiashe Hall Tourist Zone, and Golden Summit Tourist Zone.

Chicken Foot Mountain is the birthplace of Zen Buddhism. Over two thousand years ago, Mahakasyapa, the foremost disciple of Sakyamuni Buddha, guarded the Buddha’s robe and entered meditation at Huashou Gate on Chicken Foot Mountain, establishing its lofty status in the Buddhist world. By the Yuan and Ming dynasties, eight major temples and seventy-one monasteries had formed, centered around Jiashe Hall. At its peak, the mountain boasted thirty-six temples and seventy-two nunneries, housing thousands of resident monks and nuns, creating a grand spectacle described as “incense wafting through the golden halls amidst the mist, with the scent of pine trees drifting uninterrupted for miles.” The grand and majestic complex of temple architecture contributed to the exceptionally brilliant history of Chicken Foot Mountain. Throughout history, eminent monks have visited, resided, and practiced here, gaining renown across the land. In the late Qing Dynasty and early Republican era, the legendary monk Xuyun climbed Chicken Foot Mountain several times, residing at this sacred site and pioneering a new wave of Buddhist scholarship. Literati and poets who traveled here left behind invaluable poems, essays, calligraphy, and paintings. Mi Fu’s calligraphy declaring it the “Number One Mountain Under Heaven,” the poetry, calligraphy, and paintings of Dangdang, Xu Xiake’s *Record of Chicken Foot Mountain*, Qu Ertais’ painting *Ink Dragon*, Xu Beihong’s artworks *Rooster, Bamboo and Mountain* and *Galloping Horse*, Sun Yat-sen’s inscription “Mahakasyapa’s Reverent Form,” Liang Qichao’s inscription “Sacred Mountain Rejuvenated,” are not only great tributes to Chicken Foot Mountain but also precious cultural heritage of China. The mountain embodies a long and rich Buddhist history and profound cultural significance.

The tourism resources of Chicken Foot Mountain have three major features:

First, it has a strong Buddhist cultural character. Buddhism on Chicken Foot Mountain was initiated by Mahakasyapa, the foremost disciple of Sakyamuni Buddha, flourished during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and at its peak developed into a grand complex of 36 temples and 72 monasteries centered around Zhusheng Temple, with over 3,000 resident monks and nuns. Many eminent monks emerged, such as Xiaocheng, Cijie, Putong, Bentie, Duchue, Zhoulǐ, Shichan, Jingyue, Dacuo, and Dangdang, who lectured on scriptures, founded temples, and greatly enriched the Buddhist culture of the mountain. As the birthplace of Zen Buddhism and a place where various sects coexist, Chicken Foot Mountain is a convergence point of Tibetan and Han Buddhism, enjoying high prestige in South and Southeast Asian countries. Since ancient times, it has been a sacred site revered by Buddhists from both China and abroad.

Second, it boasts a rich historical and cultural character. Throughout its history, Chicken Foot Mountain has attracted numerous literati and scholars, including Mi Fu, Dong Qichang, Wu Weiye, Li Zhi, Xu Xiake, Sun Yat-sen, Liang Qichao, Xu Beihong, and Zhao Puchu, who composed poems, wrote essays, and contributed calligraphy and paintings. Fan Chengxun, Viceroy of Yunnan and Guizhou, and Gao Wengying, local official of Yao’an, compiled the *Record of Chicken Foot Mountain* four times. Prominent scholars Li Genyuan and Zhao Fan of central Yunnan revised the *Supplement to the Record of Chicken Foot Mountain*, serving as vital historical documents for understanding the mountain’s past, geography, culture, temples, and specialties. In the Ming Dynasty, the famed geographer and writer Xu Xiake trekked over 5,000 li and climbed Chicken Foot Mountain twice in 1638 and 1639, staying for months to conduct detailed surveys of its geology, hydrology, flora, scenic spots, and temples. He recorded over 30,000 words in his diaries and compiled the first *Record of Chicken Foot Mountain*. In 1913, Sun Yat-sen inscribed “Mahakasyapa’s Reverent Form” for Zhusheng Temple, and Liang Qichao wrote “Sacred Mountain Rejuvenated.” In 1929, Long Yun, Governor of Yunnan Province, visited the mountain and funded the construction of the Lengyan Pagoda at the former site of the Golden Summit’s Guangming Pagoda, inscribing it with “Majestic Dharma Appearance.” In 1937, Yuan Jiagu visited Chicken Foot Mountain, ascended the Lengyan Pagoda, and dedicated his handwritten copies of the *Shurangama Mantra*, *Great Compassion Mantra*, and *Lengyan Pagoda Stele Inscription*, leaving behind the famous couplet at Shizhong Temple. Renowned painter Xu Beihong created five artworks in 1942, including *Rooster, Bamboo and Rock* and *Galloping Horse*. In 1982, Zhao Puchu, President of the Buddhist Association of China, inscribed plaques for the mountain, including “Zhusheng Temple,” “Gathering of the Sacred Mountain,” and “Heaven Opens the Buddhist Realm, Earth Emerges the Transformed City.” These are all invaluable historical and cultural legacies of Chicken Foot Mountain.

Third, it features majestic, elegant, serene, unique, and breathtaking natural landscapes. Covering an area of 2,822 hectares with a maximum elevation of 3,248 meters and a relative height difference of 1,486 meters, Chicken Foot Mountain towers majestically over southern skies. Ancient scholars described its steepness as “cliffs a thousand ren high, where monkeys leap and apes climb.” The mountain includes over 40 peculiar peaks, 13 perilous summits, 34 cliffs, 45 hidden caves, over 100 springs and pools, and countless ridges, valleys, and gullies. The entire mountain is imposing, with competing peaks, interlacing forests and springs, temples nestled among jagged rocks, and ancient vines and trees hanging like garlands. It is celebrated for being majestic, elegant, serene, unique, and breathtaking. The “one bird, two teas, three dragons, four views, five firs, six treasures, seven beasts, and eight scenic spots” of Chicken Foot Mountain have drawn endless praise from literati and visitors, making it a place people never want to leave—truly “the most spectacular and elegant mountain under heaven.” With a forest coverage rate of over 85%, the mountain hosts more than 500 species of higher plants across 80 families, mainly including evergreen oaks, pines, oaks, nanmu, and poplars, many of which are over a hundred years old, adding beauty and mystique to the mountain, earning it the reputation of a “natural forest park.”

In 1996, the Binchuan County Party Committee and County Government set a strategic goal to develop Binchuan into a tourism, trade, and processing industrial city in eastern Dali Prefecture by 2010, characterized by Chicken Foot Mountain tourism, Buddhist holy sites, and the development of South Asian tropical biological resources, connecting with international cities. In 2001, the county further outlined strategic priorities and main tasks for the development and construction of Chicken Foot Mountain in its 10th and 11th Five-Year Plans. Through years of dedicated effort, Chicken Foot Mountain tourism has now achieved a well-established development framework, featuring a clean and beautiful environment, complete infrastructure, warm and attentive services, civilized and law-abiding operations, robust safety measures, good public security, comprehensive resource protection, and strict management standards. All elements of the tourism experience—“dining, accommodation, transportation, sightseeing, shopping, and entertainment”—are well-developed. In 1998, Chicken Foot Mountain was listed as a key reception site for the ’99 Kunming World Expo; in 1999, it was selected by the National ’99 Eco-Tourism Year Organizing Committee as one of the featured destinations for the Shangri-La Exploration Tour; in 2000, it was included in China’s 11 nationally promoted premium tourism routes and Yunnan’s 5 premium routes, specifically as an important site on the Northwest Yunnan Shangri-La and Ethnic Culture Journey, and among Yunnan’s 23 premium scenic spots. In 2002, it passed ISO9001/ISO14001 quality/environmental management system certification and was rated as a Yunnan Provincial Civilized Scenic Tourism Area. In 2003, it was designated as a national AAAA-level scenic spot.

Time Needed

1–2 days

Transportation

You can first take a bus from Xiaguan to Binchuan County (12–16 RMB), then transfer to a minibus from Binchuan County to the mountain gate (Lingshan Yihui Archway) for 15 RMB. From the Lingshan Yihui Archway to Zhusheng Temple, a minibus runs along a 3.2-km mountain road (5 RMB). The hike from the mountain gate (Lingshan Yihui Archway) to the Golden Summit Temple is 8 km, with options to take a cable car or ride a horse up the mountain.

Admission Fee

60 RMB

Opening Hours

08:00~18:00

Location

Northwestern Binchuan County, Dali (approximately 100 km from Xiaguan)