Anhui - Jiuhuashan

    Located in Qingyang County in Western Anhui Province, Jiuhuashan (Jiuhua Mountain) consists of 99 peaks of various size and shape.
    Among them, Tiantai Peak (Heavenly Terrace) and Shiwang Peak (Peak of Ten Princes), both over 1300-meter's above sea level, are the highest.
    Popular for its spectacular peaks and perilous cliffs, Jiuhuashan is endowed with myriad of springs, streams, waterfalls, grotesque rocks and ancient caves. Covered with luxuriantly green pines and bamboo groves, and gleaming with crystal-clear waters, it offers enchanting scenery. It's also famous for the grand scale of temples and nunneries, which are unique in style and magnificent in architecture. At present, still exist 79 well-preserved temples, over 1500 Buddha statues and more than 1300 pieces of cultural relics like Buddhist scriptures, musical instruments etc. Huacheng TempleLying in mid Jiuhuashan, it's enclosed by the mountains, with Furong Peak to the south, Shenguang Ridge to the west, White Clouds Mountain to the north, and cliffs to the east. The Temple, consisting of four rows of houses, was built on the mountainside.
    Their door inlets, the window lattices the brackets as well as the beams were elaborately carved. And the sculptured work of "Nine Dragons Playing With A Ball" upon the ceiling of the main hall, is truly an art treasure among woodcarvings. Solemn and imposing, the buildings of the oldest and largest Temple in the Jiuhua Mountain rise gradually with the sloping land. According to the legend, it was the place where the King of Ksitigarbha dwelt in his lifetime.
    It still stores the precious cultural relics such as Buddhist edicts and scriptures of the Ming Dynasty.
Yueshen Precious Hall:
    Encircled by a corridor lined with stone columns supporting the double-eave roof, and glistening golden with the sculptured and painted beams and pillars, the Hall looks magnificent. It houses a seven-storied wooden pagoda, about 17 meters in height. Enshrining in each story, 8 gilded statues of King of Ksitigarbha in sitting posture, and with a complacent look. He is flanked and protected by 5 statues of standing Princes at each side of the pagoda. The pagoda's foundation, the altar as well as the Hall's floor are topped with white marbles, which blend in well color, with the glittering gilded objects. A grand stairway of 81 stone steps slopes down from the Hall front. To the west of the Hall, is an exhibition room for Buddhist cultural relics. Behind the Hall, on crescent jasper platform stands an iron tripod, where the air is heavy with the smoke of burning incense.
Tiantai Peak (Heavenly Terrace):
    Along the trail leading from Min Park to the top, 1325 meters above sea level, lush and perilous peaks and ridges rise one upon another. And springs, streams, bamboo groves, grotesque rocks and craggy cliffs scatter about. An arched stone bridge named "Bridge of Ferrying Immortals Across," sits astride the Peak of Dragon Head in the east and the Peak Of Dragon Ball in the west. The passage under the bridge is the entrance leading to the Temple of Heavenly Terrace. The small stone pavilion of the Temple is an ideal place to watch the sunrise and enjoy the scenery of Jiuhua Mountain. Here one can gain a bird's eye view of the lofty and imposing peaks, the tall and straight green pines, billowing sea of luxuriant bamboo groves, as well as the temples spread all over the place.