Located southwest of the Chengdu Plain in Sichuan Province, Emei Shan is one of the country’s four ancient Buddhist mountains and has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The main peak of Mt Emei, the Golden Summit, is 3,099 meters above sea level and offers stunning views of the huge plain in the east and the snow-capped mountains in the west. In addition, there are four scenic spectacles to enjoy; sunrise, clouds sea, Buddha rays and saint lamps.
Originally boasting around 100 Buddhist monasteries dating from the 3rd to the 6th century AD, Emei Shan still features approximately 70 working monasteries, particularly Wannian Monastery and Baoguo Si Temple, and is the site of the first Buddhist temple erected in China during the 1st century AD. Every year, hundreds of thousands of visitors approach the mountain to worship here.
Mt Emei presents an astounding environment, with verdant trees and splendid waterfalls in serene scenery. The architecture, grottos and paintings at Emei Shan reflect the rich Buddhist culture and flavor that has become the main body of the mountain. There is a 50-kilometer winding foot path to the summit, while less exercise-willing travelers might prefer to take the cable car to the top level.
Getting There & Away
Emei Shan is 28kms from Leshan, 150kms south of the provincial capital Chengdu and 130kms from the city’s Shuangliu International Airport; the flight time from Beijing to Chengdu is 2 hours and a taxi from the airport takes 2 hours, 20 minutes to reach the mountain. Regular overnight trains run between Kunming and Mt Emei, while buses connect the mountain with Chengdu and Leshan.