Mt Emei


  • mt emei
  • mt emei
  • mt emei
  • mt emei
  • mt emei
  • mt emei
  • mt emei
  • mt emei
  • mt emei
  • mt emei
  • mt emei

Mount Emei ([ɤ̌.měi]; Chinese: 峨眉山[1]; pinyin: Éméi shān) is a mountain in Sichuan Province, China, and is one of the Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains of China.  Mt. Emei sits at the western rim of the Sichuan Basin. The mountains west of it are known as Daxiangling.[2]A large surrounding area of countryside is geologically known as the Permian Emeishan Large Igneous Province, a large igneous province generated by the Emeishan Traps volcanic eruptions during the Permian Period. At 3,099 metres (10,167 ft), Mt. Emei is the highest of the Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains of China.[3]

Administratively, Mt. Emei is located near the county-level city of the same name (Emeishan City), which is in turn part of the prefecture-level city of Leshan. It was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.[4]

As a sacred mountain

Mount Emei is one of the Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains of China, and is traditionally regarded as the bodhimaṇḍa, or place of enlightenment, of the bodhisattva Samantabhadra. Samantabhadra is known in Mandarin as Pǔxián Púsà (普賢菩薩).

Sources of the 16th and 17th centuries allude to the practice of martial arts in the monasteries of Mount Emei[5] made the earliest extant reference to the Shaolin Monastery as Chinese boxing's place of origin.[6]

Buddhist architecture on Emei

This is the location of the first Buddhist temple built in China in the 1st century CE.[4]The site has seventy-six Buddhist monasteries of the Ming and Qing dynasties, most of them located near the mountain top.  The monasteries demonstrate a flexible architectural style that adapts to the landscape. Some, such as the halls of Baoguosi, are built on terraces of varying levels, while others, including the structures of Leiyinsi, are on raised stilts. Here the fixed plans of Buddhist monasteries of earlier periods were modified or ignored in order to make full use of the natural scenery. The buildings of Qingyinge are laid out in an irregular plot on the narrow piece of land between the Black Dragon River and the White Dragon River. The site is large and the winding footpath is 50 km (31 mi), taking several days to walk.[7]

Cable cars ease the ascent to the two temples at Jinding (3,077 m), an hour's hike from the mountain's peak.[3][8]

Climate

The summit of Mount Emei has an alpine subarctic climate (Köppen Dwc), with long, cold (but not severely so) winters, and short, cool summers. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from −5.7 °C (21.7 °F) in January to 11.6 °C (52.9 °F) in July, and the annual mean is 3.07 °C (37.5 °F). Precipitation is common year-round (occurring on more than 250 days), but due to the influence of the monsoon, rainfall is especially heavy in summer, and more than 70% of the annual total occurs from June to September.

Climate data for Mount Emei (1971−2000)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 16.7
(62.1)
18.5
(65.3)
20.5
(68.9)
22.7
(72.9)
21.7
(71.1)
22.5
(72.5)
22.1
(71.8)
21.5
(70.7)
19.8
(67.6)
19.3
(66.7)
19.5
(67.1)
16.3
(61.3)
22.7
(72.9)
Average high °C (°F) −0.3
(31.5)
0.4
(32.7)
4.1
(39.4)
7.8
(46.0)
10.5
(50.9)
12.9
(55.2)
15.2
(59.4)
14.9
(58.8)
11.2
(52.2)
7.2
(45.0)
4.0
(39.2)
1.6
(34.9)
7.5
(45.5)
Daily mean °C (°F) −5.7
(21.7)
−4.9
(23.2)
−1.3
(29.7)
2.9
(37.2)
6.3
(43.3)
9.3
(48.7)
11.6
(52.9)
11.2
(52.2)
7.7
(45.9)
3.5
(38.3)
−0.3
(31.5)
−3.5
(25.7)
3.1
(37.6)
Average low °C (°F) −9.2
(15.4)
−8.1
(17.4)
−4.8
(23.4)
−0.3
(31.5)
3.6
(38.5)
6.8
(44.2)
9.2
(48.6)
9.0
(48.2)
5.5
(41.9)
1.2
(34.2)
−3.2
(26.2)
−6.8
(19.8)
0.2
(32.4)
Record low °C (°F) −19.2
(−2.6)
−19.1
(−2.4)
−17.2
(1.0)
−9.8
(14.4)
−7.4
(18.7)
−0.2
(31.6)
2.1
(35.8)
2.8
(37.0)
−3.5
(25.7)
−11.1
(12.0)
−14.7
(5.5)
−19.7
(−3.5)
−19.7
(−3.5)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 15.4
(0.61)
23.8
(0.94)
50.3
(1.98)
112.1
(4.41)
161.6
(6.36)
220.1
(8.67)
366.5
(14.43)
428.4
(16.87)
210.8
(8.30)
101.4
(3.99)
42.8
(1.69)
16.0
(0.63)
1,749.2
(68.88)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 16.9 19.1 22.3 22.3 23.2 23.6 22.7 21.9 23.8 24.7 20.0 15.1 255.6
Source: Weather China

Indigenous animals

Visitors to Mount Emei will likely see dozens of Tibetan macaques who can often be viewed taking food from tourists. Local merchants sell nuts for tourists to feed the monkeys. Other featured animals includes Rana adenopleura, Vibrissaphora liui and Pheretima praepinguis

Flora

Mount Emei is known for its high level of endemism and approximately 200 plant species in various plant families have been described from this mountain.


Client’s Reviews

  • DianeM032

    DianeM032

    Reviewed 5thOctober2016

    The other reviews are correct. This is a tough, steep walk up many steps and can be difficult and hard going for those less agile. However it is so well worth the effort. Its is not busy here and the view is quite amazing as...More

  • neocamui

    neocamui

    Reviewed 28thOctober2018

    unforgettable and awesome. trekked 18km and was the first to reach the end point among my group. Had a buggy local who kept insisting on following me but that was fine. It's less crowded and very worth the climb. Loved it! travelled in 2014

  • 475vladimirm

    475vladimirm

    Reviewed 15thNovember2016

    Jinshanling is a section of the Great Wall of China located in 125 km northeast of Beijing. Jinshanling section of the wall was built from 1570 during the Ming Dynasty. This section is 10.5 km long, with 5 passes, 67 towers and 3 beacon towers....More

  • Grant N

    Grant N

    Reviewed 2ndApril2018

    The Great Wall at jinshanling does not disappoint in any capacity and is a must do and see while visiting China

  • WorldFoodie32

    WorldFoodie32

    Reviewed 13thFebruary2016

    -Disclaimer- on 13/02/16, Heavy snow. Getting to this wall off season is not a fun experience, we would advise booking a tour or renting a car. We got a minibus that was one way and told us where to get a return bus, the return...More

  • jingga18

    jingga18

    Reviewed 9thAugust2015

    We visited Mt. Emei in June and the weather was quite nice, although a little misty. But the views were not obstructed by the fog. The hike took approximately 1 hour but it's absolutely worth the effort. The temple at the top of the mountain...More

  • febrmelo

    febrmelo

    Reviewed 1stSeptember2015

    It was a challenge to understand the best part of the great wall and a friend recommended this. Greattttt! Peaceful, not crowded, lovely scenes! Even over delivered my expectation. Cheapest way is to get the subway to the nearby station, get the bus (the 8am...More

  • Tahoe090

    Tahoe090

    Reviewed 9thApril2016

    The Great Wall with less crowds? Perfect experience. Did the Shalinglou Pass to the General Tower and back down. Great walk. Lots of uneven steps in great condition. Manageable for a semi fit person, just take your time. Even a short walk will offer amazing...More

  • cazbatt

    cazbatt

    Reviewed 27thJuly2015

    This is a great place to spend a day exploring. There is quite a nice guide map you can get in Leshan which shows you the hike routes and all the interesting places - temples, monasteries etc. you can visit which are dotted about on...More

  • WCOB

    WCOB

    Reviewed 20thSeptember2015

    The 2.5 hour drive each way to Jinshanling and back to my hotel was worth it. Mind you I was in my tour guides air-conditioned car. It was so peaceful as there was virtually no other people on this remote part of the wall. The...More

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