Sacred mountain of wonders

Mount Emei is at its best during summer and autumn, but you can also visit the scenic spot during spring or winter to witness its four natural phenomena, writes Huang Zhiling from Chengdu, Sichuan province.

Mount Emei, 127 km from Sichuan's capital of Chengdu, is one of Buddhism's four sacred mountains in China; the others are Wutai in Shanxi province, Jiuhua in Anhui province and Putuo in Zhejiang province. Buddhism reached the mountain about 2,000 years ago, and Mount Emei, with its approximately 30 monasteries, is a pilgrimage for Buddhists today.

The 1,612-year-old Wannian Temple, which is 1,020 meters above the sea level, is the oldest temple on the mountain. The mountain's patron, Bodhisattva Puxian (or Samantabhadra), is worshipped in the most sacred building on Mount Emei, a square brick hall topped with a stupa-like dome. The hall is made totally of bricks and stones, and houses a magnificent bronze statue of Puxian and his mount, a six-tusked elephant with its feet resting on lotuses.