Jiuhuashan
Encyclopedia
Qingyang County
Qingyang County is a county in Anhui Province, People's Republic of China, under the jurisdiction of the Chizhou City. It has a population of 280,000 and an area of . The government of Qingyang County is located in Yongcheng Town.-Transport:...
in Anhui
Anhui
Anhui is a province in the People's Republic of China. Located in eastern China across the basins of the Yangtze River and the Huai River, it borders Jiangsu to the east, Zhejiang to the southeast, Jiangxi to the south, Hubei to the southwest, Henan to the northwest, and Shandong for a tiny...
province and is famous for its rich landscape and ancient temples.
Many of the mountain's shrines and temples are dedicated to Ksitigarbha
Ksitigarbha
Ksitigarbha is a bodhisattva primarily revered in East Asian Buddhism, usually depicted as a Buddhist monk in the Orient. The name may be translated as "Earth Treasury", "Earth Store", "Earth Matrix", or "Earth Womb"...
(known in Chinese as Dìzàng, , in Japanese as Jizō), who is a bodhisattva
Bodhisattva
In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is either an enlightened existence or an enlightenment-being or, given the variant Sanskrit spelling satva rather than sattva, "heroic-minded one for enlightenment ." The Pali term has sometimes been translated as "wisdom-being," although in modern publications, and...
and protector of beings in hell realms
Naraka (Buddhism)
Naraka नरक or Niraya निरय is the name given to one of the worlds of greatest suffering in Buddhist cosmology.Naraka is usually translated into English as "hell", "hell realm", or "purgatory"...
according to Mahayana
Mahayana
Mahāyāna is one of the two main existing branches of Buddhism and a term for classification of Buddhist philosophies and practice...
Buddhist tradition. Pious Buddhists often visit Anhui to climb to Greater Tiantai
Tiantai
Tiantai is an important school of Buddhism in China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. In Japan the school is known as Tendai, and in Korea it is known as Cheontae. Tiantai is also called the "Lotus School", due to its emphasis on the Lotus Sūtra as its doctrinal basis...
peak, which is regarded as Jiuhuashan's most important peak, although it is not the tallest.
History
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
. It was called Mount Jiuzi (九子山) in Liang and Chen Dynasties of South Dynasties. A legend says that the great poet Li Bai
Li Bai
Li Bai , also known in the West by various other transliterations, especially Li Po, was a major Chinese poet of the Tang dynasty poetry period. He has been regarded as one of the greatest poets in China's Tang period, which is often called China's "golden age" of poetry. Around a thousand existing...
of Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
travelled here and wrote down "Magic is divided to two branches, sacred mountain generates nine glories." (妙有分二气，灵山开九华). Thus it was named Mount Jiuhua.
JiuHuashan is delicately beautiful which is located in the southeastern part of Chizhou City, Anhui Province. The gross area reaches 120 square kilometers, while the protection area reaches 114 square kilometers. Together with Wutai Mountain in Shanxi, Emei Mountain in Sichuan and Putuo Mountain in Zhejiang. Jiuhua Mountain is called one of the four great Buddhist mountains in China. In 719 AD, Kim Qiaoque, a Silla
Silla
Silla was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, and one of the longest sustained dynasties in...
prince (today's Qingzhou city in South Korea) came to Jiuhua Mountain and cultivated himself for 5 years. He died at 99 years of age, his corporeal body stayed intact. Because he was very similar in appearance to Dizang Buddhisattva, the monks there believed Dizang Boddhisattva was reincarnated in him, as a result, Jiuhua Mountain became the place to hold rites for Dizang Boddhisatva. During the golden periods of the Ming and Qing dynasties, there were as many as 360 temples and 4,000 to 5,000 monks and nuns.
Mount Jiuhua was originally known as Jiuzi (Nine-Peak) Mountain. But ever since Li Bai, the celebrated poet in the Tang Dynasty wrote of the mountain,
Sailing down the Jiujiang River the other day, I saw the Jiuhua Peaks in the distance. Looking like a heavenly river hanging in heaven, Its green water embroidering cotton rose hibiscuses.
the mountain was renamed Jiuhua Mountain. As a popular pilgrimage destination, it was very famous in the southeastern part of China and became one of the four holy mountains of Buddhism. Since its opening in 1979, Jiuhua Mountain, with its abundant Buddhist culture and uniquely attractive scenery, has enjoyed a high reputation in southeast Asia, South Korea and Japan. It is known as the mountain of Dizang Buddhisattva
Ksitigarbha
Ksitigarbha is a bodhisattva primarily revered in East Asian Buddhism, usually depicted as a Buddhist monk in the Orient. The name may be translated as "Earth Treasury", "Earth Store", "Earth Matrix", or "Earth Womb"...
and for having a large number of whole Buddhist relics. There are 99 peaks in the area, among them Shiwang Peak, Lotus Peak, and others.
Temples
Some renowned temples located at Mount Jiuhua includes:- Huacheng TempleHuacheng TempleHuacheng Temple is the oldest and most prominent temple in Mount Jiuhua. It has a history of more than 1,500 years.-History:Huacheng Temple is the first temple and also the leading temple in Mount Jiuhua. It is said in Long'an 5th year, Jin Dynasty, Indian monk, Huaidu, built a small Buddhist...
- Guoqing TempleGuoqing TempleThe Guoqing Temple is a Buddhist temple on Mount Tiantai, Zhejiang Province, People's Republic of China. Originally built in 598 AD during the Sui Dynasty, and renovated during the reign of the Qing Yongzheng Emperor , the temple is located roughly from the city of Hangzhou...
- Dabeilou TempleDabeilou TempleDabeilou temple is part of the Zhantanlin Temple found on Mount Jiuhua. This ornate temple, although styled after traditional temples, was built around 2001. The temple sits just below the Baisuigong Temple. Tourist and worshipers can walk up a steep path between the two temples or travel in...
- Baisuigong Temple
- Qiyuansi Temple
- Roushen Temple
- Tianchi Temple
- Zhantanlin Temple
- Zhiyuan Temple