Mount Jiuhua () located in

Chizhou Chizhou () is a prefecture-level city in the south of Anhui province, China. It borders Anqing to the northwest, Tongling and Wuhu to the northeast, Xuancheng to the east, Huangshan to the southeast, and the province of Jiangxi to the southwes ...

Anhui Province Anhui , (; formerly romanized as Anhwei) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the East China region. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze River ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

is an important

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

site and natural scenic spot. It is one of the four famous Buddhist mountains in China, one of the first batch of 5A level scenic spots in China, one of the first batch of natural and

cultural heritage Cultural heritage is the heritage of tangible and intangible heritage assets of a group or society that is inherited from past generations. Not all heritages of past generations are "heritage"; rather, heritage is a product of selection by soc ...

sites in China, and the main scenic spot of "two mountains and one lake" (Jiuhua Mountain, Taiping Lake,

Huangshan Huangshan (),Bernstein, pp. 125–127. literally meaning the Yellow Mountain(s), is a mountain range in southern Anhui Province in eastern China. It was originally called “Yishan”, and it was renamed because of a legend that Emperor Xua ...

) tourism development strategy in Anhui Province. The planned area of the scenic spot is 120 square kilometers, and the protected area is 174 square kilometers, which is composed of 11 scenic spots.

History

Mount Jiuhua was called Mount Lingyang during the time of the

Han Dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by th ...

. It was called Mount Jiuzi (九子山) in Liang and Chen Dynasties of South Dynasties. A legend says that the great poet

Li Bai Li Bai (, 701–762), also pronounced as Li Bo, courtesy name Taibai (), was a Chinese poet, acclaimed from his own time to the present as a brilliant and romantic figure who took traditional poetic forms to new heights. He and his friend Du F ...

Tang Dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

travelled here and wrote "Magic is divided to two branches, sacred mountain generates nine glories." (), giving rise to its name Mount Jiuhua. Mount Jiuhua is located in the southeastern part of Chizhou City, in Quingyang County of

. The gross area reaches 120 square kilometers, while the protection area reaches 114 square kilometers. Shiwang Peak is the highest one with an elevation of 1342 meters above sea level. Together with Wutai Mountain in

Shanxi Shanxi (; ; formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-leve ...

Emei Mountain Mount Emei (; ), alternately Mount Omei, is a mountain in Sichuan Province, China, and is the highest of the Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains of China. Mount Emei sits at the western rim of the Sichuan Basin. The mountains west of it are kn ...

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of t ...

and Putuo Mountain in

Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Ji ...

. Jiuhua Mountain is called one of the four great Buddhist mountains in China. In 719 AD,

Kim Qiaoque Gim Gyo-gak (김교각, 金喬覺, 696-794), or Jin Qiaojue in Standard Mandarin, Mandarin, also known as his buddhist name Jijang(地藏), was a Korean Buddhist monk believed to be the manifestation of Ksitigarbha at Mount Jiuhua, one of the fou ...

, a

Silla Silla or Shilla (57 BCE – 935 CE) ( , Old Korean: Syera, Old Japanese: Siraki2) was a Korean kingdom located on the southern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula. Silla, along with Baekje and Goguryeo, formed the Three Kingdoms o ...

prince (today's Qingzhou city in South Korea) who was ordained as a

bhikkhu A ''bhikkhu'' (Pali: भिक्खु, Sanskrit: भिक्षु, ''bhikṣu'') is an ordained male in Buddhist monasticism. Male and female monastics (" nun", ''bhikkhunī'', Sanskrit ''bhikṣuṇī'') are members of the Sangha (Buddhist ...

came to Jiuhua Mountain and cultivated himself for 75 years. He died at 99 years of age, his corporeal body stayed intact as sacred relic. Because he was very similar in appearance to Dizang Bodhisattva, the monastic community there believed he is one of the incarnations of Dizang Bodhisattva, as a result, Jiuhua Mountain became the sacred site dedicated to Dizang Bodhisattva. During the golden periods of the Ming and Qing dynasties, there were as many as 360 temples and 4,000 to 5,000 monks and nuns. The mountain is not only famous for its Buddhist culture but also noted for its natural landscapes featuring old pines, green bamboo forests, strange rocks, waterfalls, streams and caves. Mount Jiuhua was originally known as Jiuzi (Nine-Peak) Mountain. But ever since Li Bai, the celebrated poet in the Tang Dynasty wrote of the mountain,

Sailing down the Jiujiang River the other day, I saw the Jiuhua Peaks in the distance. Looking like a heavenly river hanging in heaven, Its green water embroidering cotton rose hibiscuses.

A view of the 99-meter statue of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva at Jiuhuashan

the mountain was renamed Jiuhua Mountain. As a popular pilgrimage destination, it was very famous in the southeastern part of China and became one of the four holy mountains of Buddhism. Since its opening in 1979, Jiuhua Mountain, with its abundant

Buddhist culture Buddhist culture is exemplified through Buddhist art, Buddhist architecture, Buddhist music and Buddhist cuisine. As Buddhism expanded from the Indian subcontinent it adopted artistic and cultural elements of host countries in other parts of Asia ...

and uniquely attractive scenery, has enjoyed a high reputation in southeast Asia, South Korea and Japan. It is known as the mountain and

bodhimaṇḍa Bodhimaṇḍa (Sanskrit and Pali) or daochang () is a term used in Buddhism meaning the "position of awakening". According to Haribhadra, it is "a place used as a seat, where the essence of enlightenment is present". Bodhimaṇḍas are regular ...

of Dizang Bodhisattva and for having a large number of sacred Buddhist

relics In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...

. There are 99 peaks in the area, among them Shiwang Peak, Lotus Peak, and others. Subsequently certified as a National

Geopark A geopark is a protected area with internationally significant geology within which sustainable development is sought and which includes tourism, conservation, education and research concerning not just geology but other relevant sciences. In 20 ...

, and then as a regional geopark ( Asia Pacific Geopark Network), it was admitted as a

UNESCO Global Geopark UNESCO Global Geoparks (UGGp) are geoparks certified by the UNESCO Global Geoparks Council as meeting all the requirements for belonging to the Global Geoparks Network (GGN). The GGN is both a network of geoparks and the agency of the United Nati ...

in 2019.

Temples

Some renowned temples located at Mount Jiuhua include: *

Ganlu Temple (Mount Jiuhua) Ganlu Temple () is a Buddhist temple located on Mount Jiuhua, in Qingyang County, Anhui, China. Name The name of "Ganlu" derives from ''Lotus Sutra''. History The temple was originally built by an exceptional Chan master Dong'an () in 1667, aft ...

Tiantai Temple (Mount Jiuhua) Tiantai Temple (), also known as the Temple of Ksitigarbha (), is the highest Buddhist temple located on Mount Jiuhua, in Qingyang County, Anhui, China. It was first built in the Tang dynasty (618–907), and went through many changes and repai ...

Zhiyuan Temple (Mount Jiuhua) Zhiyuan Temple () is a Buddhist temple located on Mount Jiuhua, in Qingyang County, Anhui, China. Alongside Ganlu Temple, Baisui Palace and Dongyan Chan Temple are honoured as the "Four Buddhist Temple on Mount Jiuhua". Name The name of the templ ...

* Huacheng Temple * Baisui Palace * Zhantalin * Baisuigong Temple * Qiyuansi Temple * Roushen Temple * Tianchi Temple *Dabeilou Temple

Gallery

Image:Jiuhuashan from below.jpg, A view of China's Jiuhuashan (mountains), seen from a distance. Image:Jiuhuashan higher Daxiong Baodian.jpg, Higher Daxiong Baodian, located on Greater Tiantai peak File:Wanfo Pagoda 1.JPG, Wanfo Pagoda at Mount Jiuhua Image:Jiuhuashan Dizang Dian view.jpg, China's Jiuhuashan (mountains): a view of multiple peaks, seen from Dizang Dian (temple).

References

External links

History of Jiahuashan
{{authority control National parks of China Jiuhua Parks in Anhui Buddhism in Anhui Kṣitigarbha AAAAA-rated tourist attractions