Mount Wutai
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mount wutai (Wǔtáishān, 五台山) is located in the northeastern part of Wutai County of Shanxi Province, covering an area of 2837 square kilometers.
With its five flat peaks, Mount Wutai is a sacred Buddhist mountain. The cultural landscape is home to 41 monasteries and includes the East Main Hall of Foguang Temple, the highest surviving timber building of the Tang dynasty, with life-size clay sculptures. It also features the Ming dynasty Shuxiang Temple with a huge complex of 500 statues, representing Buddhist stories woven into three-dimensional pictures of mountains and water. Overall, the buildings on the site catalogue the way in which Buddhist architecture developed and influenced palace building in China for over a millennium.
Mt. Wutai, literally, “the five terrace mountain”, is the highest in Northern China and is remarkable for its morphology of precipitous slopes with five open treeless peaks. Temples have been built on this site from the 1st century AD to the early 20th century.
“Qingliang Mountain”
Mt. Wutai is a famous scenic spot under national protection. It is famous for its Tibet-like bright blue sky and the breath taking natural beauty ―beautiful surroundings, with trees covering ancient temples and monasteries. The buildings look exceptionally impressive, and the stone carvings are of superb craftsmanship. The painted sculptures are of various shapes and types and no two sculptures are of the same kind.
In the mountain area, spring arrives in April, snow falls in September, and even in mid-summer it is cool and pleasant. The cool and pleasant summer climate of Wutai has also given rise to another name: “Qingliang (Cool and Pleasant) Mountain”. The mountain has been regarded as an ideal place for escaping summer heat since ancient times.
The beautiful scenery of Mount Wutai is a masterpiece of exquisite acts of nature, predominantly visible over the five main peaks: Wanghai Peak in the east, Guayue Peak in the west, Jinxiu Peak in the south, Yedou Peak in the north, and the central Cuiyan Peak.
1 kilometer east of Taihuai Town in Wutai County, there is Wanghai Peak. Visitors standing on the top of the peak can appreciate the height of 2,795 meters. It is wonderful to see the sunrise in the morning from this location. Out of a sea of floating clouds and writhing mist, the sun rises with thousands of golden rays. It fills visitors with amazement, as they can believe it is the sun rising above the real sea.
Guayue Peak reaches an altitude of 2,773 meters and is 13 kilometerswest of Taihuai Town. This peak provides unique imagery in the evening when visitors can see the elegant and serene sight of the graceful but hazy moon hanging above dense pine trees.
Jinxiu Peak is 2,485 meters high and 12 kilometers south of Taihuai Town. This peak’s beauty is in the colorful flowers that grow all over it, and emit scents and perfumes from early May until late August. They decorate the peak by making it look as if it is wearing a floral silk coat.
Peak of Flourishing Leaves is the highest point of Mt. Wutai, as well as the highest in Northern China, at 3,058 meters. On the terrace of the peak, there is a natural pool that is over 300 square meters. From the terrace looking towards the north, Mt. Hengshan looms blanketed in endless greenery.
According to the name of Cuiyan Peak (Peak of Green Rocks), you can easily guess the scenery of this peak. The rocks are green not because of their own color, but because of the moss on their surface. The huge rocks resemble moving dragons when seen in sunlight, from which the name “dragon-writhing rocks” has been derived.
Holy land of Buddhism
Mount Wutai is one of the Four Sacred Mountains in Chinese Buddhism. Each of the four mountains are viewed as the abode or place of practice(dàochǎng, 道场) of one of the four great bodhisattvas. Wutai is the home of the Bodhisattva of wisdom, Manjusri in Chinese.
Numerous temples of different dynasties formed the place. A summer resort with a moderate climate and beautiful scenery tinted with a thick atmosphere of Buddhism. For many centuries, Mount Wutai serves as the Holy Land for both the Han and Tibetan Buddhism. Because of its Buddhist activities, it becomes a popular place for many to worship.
The Tang Poet Du Fu once wrote poems to praise the influence of Buddhism on the common people. Two lines of his poem: “Four hundred eighty temples from Southern Dynasty; Countless terraces within mist and rain.”
The poem described the temple construction in Mount Wutai during the thousand years from the Southern and Northern Dynasty to Tang Dynasty(420~907A.D.). Mount Wutai takes a very important position in Buddhist construction and is regarded as the “Treasure House of Ancient Constructions”.
Nowadays, besides the morning and evening Buddhist scriptures singing lessons, lectures and discussions on Buddhism are the main activities in Mount Wutai. The lecturer is often a famous monk.
According to historical record, people attending the lecture ranged from few believers to thousands. In the reign of Emperor Dezong in Tang Dynasty, when Buddha Master Cheng Guan gave lectures in Grand Huayan Temple on“Explanation on Huayan Buddhist scripture” draw thousands of monks came to the temple to listen.
Mt. Wutai represents the holiest land in all of Chinese Buddhism. You can find over 40 spectacular temples in the area, including a few massive temples dating back almost 2000 years. The temples in Mount Wutai became popular since Sui and Tang Dynasty.
The Nanchan Temple, Foguang Temple, Yanqing Temple and many others represented the ancient wood structure works. They were regards as the “Treasures of Thousand” by architects from home and aboard.
These wood structures set examples for the later generation to emulate on. Take Nanchan Temple as example, built in 782AD, the Buddhist statures in the temple are almost identical as those in Dunhuang Mogao Grottos and have very high artistic value.
Today, most of the temples are still in good condition. Within their walls is a rich legacy of over 100,000 superb sculptures and paintings, along with a great quantity of Buddhist cultural relics.
Xiantong Temple
Xiantong Temple has the longest history and is the most prestigious. Occupying an area of 80,000 square meters, it was built initially in 68, during the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220), with the additions built by succeeding dynasties. Now it plays the most important role among the temples, therefore, the Buddhist Association of Mt. Wutai is situated there. The court-styled construction of it includes seven palaces, in one of which Manjusri Bodhisattva’s statue was engraved and worshiped. The copper bell in front of the gate is the biggest bell on the mountain, with a weight of 22,045.9 pounds. Its toll can be heard around the entire mountain.
Tayuan Temple
The 75.3-meter-high Tayuan Temple is the symbol of Mt. Wutai, so it becomes a “must-see”. Principally it possesses the white Tibetan-style, which is called Dabai Pagoda (Big White Pagoda). Since it stands in front of the other temples in Taihuai Town, it is even more eye-catching. Accompanying the graceful temple, there is also Wenshufa Pagoda where it is said that Manjusri Bodhisattva’s hair is preserved, and the Dacangjing Pavilion (CollectingLections Pavilion) where volumes of lections are collected.
Manjusri Temple
Legend has it that Wenshu Bodhisattva dwelt in the temple, so it is also called “ZhenrongYuan”or “Bodhisattva Summit”. It was built originally in Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534). In the time of Emperor Yongle of Ming Dynasty (1368 -1644), Lamaists began to be stationed in Mt. Wutai, and the great Lama resided there. From then on, it became the principal temple of Lamaism. Emperors Kangxi and Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) both went there and left ever-lasting epigraphs.
Luohou Temple
To the east of the Xiantong Temple, Luohou Temple was set up as a Lamaist temple in the Tang Dynasty. One of its wonders is a wooden lotusshaped flower. Machinery turns it and the wooden petals open and close. Inside are carved Buddhist figures on a square platform.
For tourists who want to visit all Manjusri Bodhisattva’s statues in the five temples but cannot for time constraints or other reasons, Dailuo Peak (Dark Green Snail Peak) is a wonderful place to visit, because Wufang Manjusri Palace (Palace of Manjusri Bodhisattvas from five directions) houses statues resembling the five Manjusri Bodhisattvas of each terrace. It is located to the east of the temple group in the center of Taihuai Town. 1,080 steps lead to the top of the snail-shaped peak and a cable car is also available for convenience.
If you are Buddhists, Mount Wutai is the right place for you to purify your hearts; if you are interested in historical relics and old constructions, you are recommended to come here, and you won’t be emptyhanded, just like those who have been back from a mountain of treasures; if you are someone who want to enjoy a quite and relax holiday, Mount Wutai can surely bring you to an undisturbed fairyland.