Situated in south-central Sichuan, Emei Shan, also known as Mount Emei
or Mount Omei, is quite famous abroad. It is especially known for its rich
biodiversity. In fact many plants and animals were described from specimens
collected in this mountain range
Being a nature lover, I have known the place for a long time, while I am just
discovering many others in China. So when I decided to put Mount Emei on my
travel list while I was in Chengdu, I was not alone to do so. Besides being a
beautiful place, Mount Emei is also an important Buddhist pilgrimage site and is
one of the five most sacred mountains in China. For these reasons and more, Emei
Shan is also a world heritage UNESCO site and really worth a visit.
At the foot of the mountain is a city from which you can begin your hike. The
park is quite big. This is the problem with the word "Shan" in China, sometimes
it's something we would call a hill - in this case it stands for a mountain
range. The mountain is about 3,000 metres in height, including a few hundred
kilometres of paths and stairways. You should at least spend two days exploring
the site. We decided to take the bus midway from the peak. On our journey, we
encountered a pleasant surprise: Tibetan Monkeys.
In three days of travel, we covered most of the mountain, landscape, plants,
animals and temples.
At the most famous peak rising about 3,000 metres, visitors will be impressed
for one side of the mountain consists of a high cliff. This place is also very
famous for a "sea of clouds"-a kind of halo which was long interpreted as a
manifestation of the mountain's holiness. It's in fact a rare phenomenon due to
odd geological factors. The vegetation there is clearly sub alpine with
megaphorbia, a kind of meadow with giant grasses and plants. You can find this
kind landscape about 1,000 metres lower in the European Alps.
Like in every scenic spot in China, the path is paved with granite and
incredible stairways are everywhere. Many plants were introduced from Sichuan at
the turn of the 19th century, so plant lovers will easily identify
Rhododendrons, Cotoneasters Lilies, Maples and a few other beauties that are now
common in European gardens.
As an amateur botanist, I was fascinated by the number of species I saw
and the odd mixtures of tropical and temperate plants. About one-tenth of all
the plants growing in China and one-third of that growing in Sichuan can be seen
on Mount Emei.
Many insects, birds, frogs and bugs of every kind turn the path into an
endless discovery adventure. As the elevation decreases,the vegetation turns
increasingly tropical, ending up as a lush laurel-like forest,one of the best of
its kind in China.
But the most famous "bugs" around are the Tibetan Macacas, a specific kind of
woolly monkeys that can stand local frost. And indeed we were lucky enough to
meet our hairy cousins. Etiquette is to be respected when dealing with them. If
you want to feed them, offer them food on an open palm. Avoid touching them,
especially the young. If you have nothing to offer them, show them your open
palm. But keep a distance if you don't want to interact.
Observing the monkey can be great fun. At this time of the year, young males
were having conflicting relationships with elders, so you could observe the
competition to "bribe" the tourists. Elders were group organized chasing lonely
youngsters. Females were more peaceful, accompanied by one or two babies. Guards
were here to see that the etiquette was respected on both sides of the primate
meeting.
Like in "A journey to the west" we had monkeys and monks. At least a dozen
temples are located in the mountain. Most of them have exquisite architecture
and interesting inner landscaping.
