Buddhist activities

Jiuhua Mountain covers an area of 120 square kilometers southwest of Qingyang County in the south of Anhui Province. On the north is the Yangtze River and on the south the Huangshan Mountain.    

Jiuhua Mountain is dotted with temples and misted with the smoke of burning joss sticks. It is a sacred place for Buddhist pilgrims. With a unique appeal, Jiuhua Mountain has been established as one of the four most important Buddhist Mountains in China and is known in and out of the country as "the most worshipped sacred place" and "the first mountain in Southeast China". The temples now numbers 80-odd and the monks and nuns more than 300.

 Natural Heritage     

Noted not only for its Buddhism relics, but also for its beautiful scenery and favorable climate, the mountain is an ideal summer resort. It's full of marvelous ridges and peaks, exotic-shaped stones, gushing fountains, flying waterfalls, and clear streams. There are 99 peaks and 18 scenic spots. The peaks stand sheer against each other, yet they are all exquisitely beautiful, of which Tiantai, Lotus, Tianzhu and Shiwang peaks are the most splendid. There are more than 30 peaks with an elevation of over 1,000 meters, and the highest peak -- Shiwang Peak -- is 1,342 meters above sea level. Fog and pines set each other off beautifully. Birds sing accompanying the beating of bell and drum. Streams, fountains, pools, ponds and waterfalls enhance the charm of Jiuhua Mountain.

There are many interesting stones, which is the source of travelers' inmagination. The stone in shape of a roc listening to preaching was said to be a roc moved by the preaching and changed into a rock. Guanyin Stone on the Guanyin Peak, Wooden Fish Stone on the Shiwang Peak, Stone Buddha, and the stone of Monkey Paying homage to Guanyin -- all these stones got their names by their vivid looks.