Welcome to 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 take a 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 (1368~1644) five-storey ancient Buddhist temple on a hilltop (elevation: 871m), which is most famed for consecrating the intact saint corporeal body of monk Haiyu who once spent over 20 years copying the Avatamsaka Sutra with his blood of tongue and gold powder here. Another must-see is the 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. Then walk to the observation deck to view the undulating mountains of Flower Terrace Scenic Area perfectly forming a splendid view of a natural sleeping Buddha.
Later, take a 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 where enshrines the flesh body of monk Kim Qiaojue who came to Mount Jiuhua to practice Buddhism. 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 the 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.