2 Days Mount Jiuhua Buddhism Tour

Full Itinerary Day by day

Day 1 Mount Jiuhua Arrival & Tour (L)

Welcome to Chizhou in southern Anhui Province, a city most famous for the holy Buddhist mountain - Mount Jiuhua. Upon arrival, your tour guide and driver will meet you at the Chizhou Jiuhuashan Airport or Chizhou Railway Station, and then escort you to Mount Jiuhua directly.

First, you will drive to Great Vow Culture Park at the north foot of Mount Jiuhua to start your Buddhism exploration. You can take tourist bus to witness the 99-meter Golden Statue of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, a new pilgrimage landmark of Mount Jiuhua and the tallest outdoor bronze Buddhist statue in the world. Beyond the spacious square, archways, bridges, clear ponds, the most impressive sight is the giant Buddhist statue standing before layered majestic green mountains.

Then transfer to Jiuhua Street, the core scenic area where most Buddhist temples locate. Take a cable car up to Longevity Palace, a Ming Dynasty five-storey ancient Buddhist temple on a hilltop (elevation: 871m). The temple, built in Southern Anhui folk residence style, is a major must-visit Buddhist temple of Mount Jiuhua, most famed for consecrating the intact saint corporeal body of monk Haiyu (style name: Wuxia) in the Incarnation Hall. He once spent over 20 years copying the Avatamsaka Sutra with his blood of tongue and gold powder here. You can get a grand view of Jiuhua Street and see 500 life-like statues of Arhats in different gestures and looks in the Hall of Five Hundred Arhats, a unique sight that can only be seen in Mount Jiuhua. Walk to the observation deck to view the undulating mountains in Flower Terrace Scenic Area perfectly forming a splendid view of a natural sleeping Buddha.

Later, take cable car down to Jiuhua Street and continue to visit Huacheng Temple, the first and leading temple of Mount Jiuhua. The temple was built in Eastern Jin Dynasty more than 1,600 years ago and most existing buildings are from Qing Dynasty. Now the temple has been changed to the Jiuhuashan Museum of Historical Relics, exhibiting thousands of cultural treasures, like Buddhist sutras, ritual instruments, imperial decree, jade seal, ancient paintings and calligraphy.

Next, visit Incarnation Grand Hall, a national key Chinese Buddhist temple where enshrines the flesh body of monk Jin Qiaojue - the manifestation of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. He was a Korean prince and developed strong interest in Buddhism when studying in China during Tang Dynasty. Then he became a monk and returned to China to cultivate himself on Mount Jiuhua and vowed to edify all human beings before his Buddhahood. After 75-year assiduous practice with devout conviction, he died at the age of 99 in Mount Jihua in 794 AD. His remain keeps intact and unrotten after three years of his death and he was very similar in appearance to Dizang Buddhisattva. Thus, he was sanctified as sacred reincarnation of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva by followers.

Afterwards, get to Zhiyuan Temple, the largest Buddhist temple and the only palatial temple on Mount Jiuhua. Beyond the most complete architectures, the temple preserves the precious Tripitaka, the only official Tripitaka of Qing Dynasty, over 100 Buddha sculptures and huge cooper pots.

Stay overnight in Jiuhua Street on Mount Jiuhua.

Day 2 Mount Jiuhua Tour & Departure (B, L)

After breakfast, take cable car to Heavenly Terrace Peak (Tiantai Peak, elevation: 1,306 meters), the main peak of Mount Jiuhua. An old saying goes “you never reach Mount Jiuhua without a visit to Heavenly Terrace Peak”. First, take a short hike to visit Ancient Lecture Temple, a small Tang Dynasty temple sitting steep hillside, where Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is said to once chant Avatamsaka Sutra.

Next, hike upward to visit Tiantai Temple on the summit, the highest temple of Mount Jiuhua that has been visited by Kim Qiaojue and many famous monks. Take your time to visit Wanfo Hall (Ten-Thousand Buddha Hall), Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Hall and Avalokitesvara Hall, trace footprints of master monks and absorb the strong Buddhist culture. The maintain top is still a wonderful location to catch a panoramic view of breathtaking natural scenery of Mount Jiuhua, including thin mist floating among gently rolling hills, grotesque pine trees growing on monstrous rocks and nearby Shiwang Peak - the highest peak of Mount Jiuhua (elevation: 1344.4 meters).

After that, take cable car down to visit the Phoenix Ancient Pine with an old age of over 1,400 years. This 7.68-meter-tall pine tree is named after its vivid shape of a flying phoenix spreading its wings and has been inspiration for lots of poems, photography and paintings.

Last, visit Zhantanlin Temple, one of the four most important Buddhist temples of Mount Jiuhua. Continue your holy Buddhist pilgrimage to the 19-meter-high statue of Thousand Armed and Eyed Avalokitesvara and 84 Buddha statues enshrined in the elegant Dabei Hall (Great Compassion Hall), giant statues of the Three Saints of Hua-yan in Huayan Hall and 9.9-meter-tall tetrahedral statue of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva in Dayuan Grand Hall. Exquisitly carved ridgepoles, beams, doors, windows and brackets are outstanding features you should see.

After the tour, you will be escorted to the airport or train station to catch your flight or train to next destination.

Tips of Main Buddhist Festivals & Temple Fairs of Mount Jiuhua: Many Buddhist ceremonies are held in main Buddhist temples of Mount Jiuhua in different months each year. Buddhist pilgrims can check the date and select a best time to go. 1.) Land-water Dharma Assembly: held from July 30 of the lunar calendar every year and lasts 7 days; the biggest one takes place in Tiantai Temple. 2. Bon Festival: held on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month; famous rite is in Shangchantang Temple from July 8th to 15th of lunar calendar. 3.) Ksitigarbha Temple Fair (Dizang Temple Fair): from July 30th to August 6th of lunar calendar for the birth and enlightenment of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. 4.) Buddha Bathing Ceremony: celebrated on the 8th day of the 4th Lunar Month annually for the birth of Buddha.

Departure Ideas: 1. Chizhou Jiuhuashan Airport has flights connecting with Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Xiamen, Hangzhou, Shenzhen, Kunming, Jinan, and Nanjing, etc. 2. Chizhou Railway Station has high speed trains to Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Wuxi, Nanjing, etc.

The quotation for this trip is from Request Per Person

1. This price is for one person, based on a group of 2 adults sharing one standard double-bed room in 4-star hotel and traveling with our private tour in low seasons.
2. This price is subject to change according your traveling season, group size, hotel class, change of activities in your itinerary and possible fluctuation of currency exchange rate. If you want a lower price, you can get more people to join you, or use economy class hotels.
3. This price is only valid to March 31, 2024.
4. Reference exchange rate of USD 1=RMB 6.85. The final quote is based on current exchange rate. It may change according to the currency fluctuation, while the RMB quotation will be remained the same.

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Meals & Dining

We can satisfy all the dietary requirements no matter you want Chinese local food, western food, vegetarian food or muslin food.

The restaurants we will take you for lunch or dinner are all designated tourist restaurants approved by local tourist administration bureau. They have very good sanitary conditions and the food is prepared fresh and clean.

There will be some meals excluded in your itinerary as you like, and your private guide will be delighted to give you some suggestions and take you to the local restaurants to taste like Beijing Roast Duck, Xian Dumpling Dinner, Sichuan Hotpot, etc., if you are interested in local food tasting.

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Check What our delighted customers are saying about our services.

Hi Wonder,

The arrengements were very good and I'll willing to recommend your service. The perfect Guide.

Eliane

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Eliane - 2023. 5. 30‚ Italy, May 30, 2023

Hello Mr. Wonder Wang,

We have arrived safely to Kuwait and are now cherishing our memories of China. We had a very positive impression of the country and its people in terms of organization, cleanliness, friendliness, beauty and convenience. We would definitely recommend your company to our family and friends. We were well cared for by your guides, which made us feel safe and comfortable the whole time. Regarding your specific questions, we have these remarks:

1. Most definitely Mr. Wonder Wang was quick to answer our many questions. He offered valuable advice and was patient through multiple emails between our first point of contact a month before departure, during the tour of China, and until we returned home.

2. The service of the guides was generally very good. They gave us insight into the history and culture of China, and explained the significance of sites along the way. We also felt safe with the designated drivers. At the end of each guide's service, (s)he asked us to fill a questionnaire, and we can see why this is important. Generally our comments were very positive, but we did not have time to adequately assess one guide who was not at the usual standard for this company. His English name is Waldener. We felt he slacked in sharing beneficial knowledge of his city, instead joking around and showing off his knowledge of American history and culture. He was too familiar for our taste and his comments were often immodest. We feel he might benefit from more cultural sensitivity training. The remaining tour guides were very engaging, knowledgeable, dignified and helpful. Jack (in Beijing), in particular, was exemplary in friendliness and helpfulness.

We also have a couple other minor comments. The cruise ship had very little and usually no Internet connection, which was frustrating. On the other hand, the cruise manager kindly asked us about any dietary restrictions and made sure we had food that met our requirements. Likewise, two of the tour guides understood that we only eat halal meat and took us to a halal restaurant for lunch -- this unexpected consideration was highly appreciated. (This is a very important service for most of your future Middle-Eastern guests!!)

Thank you, Mr. Wonder Wang, for your professional communication and friendly assistance throughout this experience,

Sincerely,

Yaser

Yaser - 2023. 5. 29‚ Kuwait, May 29, 2023

Dear Rita,

Thanks for asking. Wutaishan is very crowded but it is fine and quite interesting indeed. We enjoy our time very much

Cheers

Amanda

Amanda - 2023. 5. 26‚ Hong Kong (China), May 26, 2023

Good Morning Tracy,

Now we are back in the UK, back to work and nearly back to normal.

What a time we had in China. I would like to thank you and your amazing team for a wonderful time and experience. The team looked after us so well. Our holiday even though it was a hundred miles an hour was exciting, informative and we really enjoyed it. We experienced lots of new tastes, culture and knowledge.

I would like to say a massive thank you to Fang Fang, who looked after us at the beginning. Her knowledge, detailing & looking after us was exceptional. Nothing was too much trouble for her. Please say a massive thank you for the way she looked after us.

I would highly recommend yourselves as a travel company for any one thinking of venturing to your amazing country and last but not least a hugh thank you to you Tracy for your help all along the way in making our adventure truly rememberable and amazing. Thank you Tracy.

Lots of regards and love

Angela

Angela- 2023. 5. 25‚ UK, May 25, 2023

Dear Rita,

非常满意。船上来了个香港厨神，饮食方面好。客房很舒适。免费Wifi.

美芳

美芳 - 2023. 5. 24‚ Singapore, May 24, 2023

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