A cool, misty retreat from Sìchuān basin’s usual heat, stunning Éméi Shān (3099m) is one of China’s four sacred Buddhist Mountains (the others being Pǔtuó Shān, Wǔtái Shān and Jiǔhuá Shān). A farmer built the first Buddhist temple near its summit in the first century CE, marking Buddhism's arrival in the Eastern world.
Later adorned with brass tiling engraved with Tibetan script and, in 1614, named Huázáng Temple (华藏寺), that first temple stood at Jīn Dǐng until it was gutted by fire in 1972. It was restored in 1989. Many of the more than 150 temples on the mountain suffered similar fates, or were looted, over the centuries. Some 30 have been maintained and restored in various degrees over the years. Wànnián Temple, the oldest surviving temple, clocks in at a respectable 1100 years.
In addition to its rich cultural heritage, the mountain stands on the edge of the eastern Himalayan highlands and is home to a diverse range of plants and animals. Together with nearby Lè Shān, Éméi Shān is on Unesco’s list of World Heritage Sites.
Getting a feel for the place takes at least a full day, ideally two. Wander the wooden temples, meet the macaques demanding tribute for safe passage, then find shelter in a monastery guesthouse and wake up in time to welcome the sun. The early morning light refracting in the cold mist is known as the Buddha's Halo.
