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Emei Shan

A cool, misty retreat from Sichuan basin’s heat, Emei Shan (峨眉山; 3099m) is one of China’s four sacred Buddhist Mountains (the others being Putuo Shsn, Wutai Shan and Jiuhua Shan. This excludes sacred Buddhist mountains in the Tibetan regions). A farmer built the first Buddhist temple near Jinding summit in the 1st century. That temple stood until it was gutted by fire in 1972, and many of the more than 150 temples on the mountain suffered fires or looting over the centuries but around 30 have been maintained and restored in various degrees. Reconstructed in the 9th century, Wannian Temple is the oldest surviving temple on the mountain.

Beyond its rich cultural heritage, the mountain also stands on the edge of the eastern Himalayan highlands and hosts a diverse range of plants and animals, all of which helped place it on Unesco’s World Heritage list.

Explore Emei Shan

J
Jinding Temple
This temple is at the Golden Summit (Jīndǐng; 3079m), commonly referred to as the mountain’s highest peak. This temple is a striking modern renovation,…
W
Wannian Temple
Reconstructed in the 9th century, Wannian Temple (1020m) is the oldest surviving Emei temple. It’s dedicated to the man on the white elephant, the…
E
Elephant Bathing Pool
According to legend, Elephant Bathing Pool (2070m) is where Pǔxián flew his elephant in for a nice scrub, but today there’s not much of a pool to speak of…
B
Baoguo Temple
Constructed in the 16th century, this temple (550m) features beautiful gardens of rare plants, as well as a 3.5m-high porcelain Buddha dating back to 1415…
Q
Qingyin Pavilion
Named ‘Pure Sound Pavilion’ after the soothing sounds of the waters coursing around rock formations, this temple (710m) is built on an outcrop in the…
X
Xianfeng Temple
Somewhat off the beaten track on the long way round to the peak, this carefully tended monastery (1752m) is backed by rugged cliffs and surrounded by…
J
Jieyin Monastery
A large main hall and several smaller shrines mark the starting point of the final push to Jinding Peak. To take the cable car to Jinding, you'll have to…
M
Monkey Zone
Between Qingyin Pavilion and Hóngchūn Píng (Venerable Trees Terrace), you will at some point encounter the mountain’s infamous monkeys. Unfortunately,…
B
Báilóngdòng
Fabled to be the spot where legendary nymph Bai Suzhen morphed from a white snake into a beautiful woman. Surprisingly then, the temple that currently…

J
Jinding Temple
This temple is at the Golden Summit (Jīndǐng; 3079m), commonly referred to as the mountain’s highest peak. This temple is a striking modern renovation,…
W
Wannian Temple
Reconstructed in the 9th century, Wannian Temple (1020m) is the oldest surviving Emei temple. It’s dedicated to the man on the white elephant, the…
E
Elephant Bathing Pool
According to legend, Elephant Bathing Pool (2070m) is where Pǔxián flew his elephant in for a nice scrub, but today there’s not much of a pool to speak of…
B
Baoguo Temple
Constructed in the 16th century, this temple (550m) features beautiful gardens of rare plants, as well as a 3.5m-high porcelain Buddha dating back to 1415…
Q
Qingyin Pavilion
Named ‘Pure Sound Pavilion’ after the soothing sounds of the waters coursing around rock formations, this temple (710m) is built on an outcrop in the…
X
Xianfeng Temple
Somewhat off the beaten track on the long way round to the peak, this carefully tended monastery (1752m) is backed by rugged cliffs and surrounded by…
J
Jieyin Monastery
A large main hall and several smaller shrines mark the starting point of the final push to Jinding Peak. To take the cable car to Jinding, you'll have to…
M
Monkey Zone
Between Qingyin Pavilion and Hóngchūn Píng (Venerable Trees Terrace), you will at some point encounter the mountain’s infamous monkeys. Unfortunately,…
B
Báilóngdòng
Fabled to be the spot where legendary nymph Bai Suzhen morphed from a white snake into a beautiful woman. Surprisingly then, the temple that currently…

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Emei Shan.

See
Jinding Temple
This temple is at the Golden Summit (Jīndǐng; 3079m), commonly referred to as the mountain’s highest peak. This temple is a striking modern renovation,…
See
Wannian Temple
Reconstructed in the 9th century, Wannian Temple (1020m) is the oldest surviving Emei temple. It’s dedicated to the man on the white elephant, the…
See
Elephant Bathing Pool
According to legend, Elephant Bathing Pool (2070m) is where Pǔxián flew his elephant in for a nice scrub, but today there’s not much of a pool to speak of…
See
Baoguo Temple
Constructed in the 16th century, this temple (550m) features beautiful gardens of rare plants, as well as a 3.5m-high porcelain Buddha dating back to 1415…
See
Qingyin Pavilion
Named ‘Pure Sound Pavilion’ after the soothing sounds of the waters coursing around rock formations, this temple (710m) is built on an outcrop in the…
See
Xianfeng Temple
Somewhat off the beaten track on the long way round to the peak, this carefully tended monastery (1752m) is backed by rugged cliffs and surrounded by…
See
Jieyin Monastery
A large main hall and several smaller shrines mark the starting point of the final push to Jinding Peak. To take the cable car to Jinding, you'll have to…
See
Monkey Zone
Between Qingyin Pavilion and Hóngchūn Píng (Venerable Trees Terrace), you will at some point encounter the mountain’s infamous monkeys. Unfortunately,…
See
Báilóngdòng
Fabled to be the spot where legendary nymph Bai Suzhen morphed from a white snake into a beautiful woman. Surprisingly then, the temple that currently…

Guidebooks

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