For those looking for Buddhism culture in China, Mt. Wutai is not to be missed! With a side trip from Beijing to Shanxi, you can explore the atmospheric Mt. Wutai in depth.

Brief Introduction of Mt. Wutai
Mt. Wutai in Shanxi Province

About 230 kilometers away from Taiyuan, Mt. Wutai is located at the northeast part of Shanxi. The mountain is the most famous Buddhism Mountain among the "Four Buddhism Mountains of China", one of the "Five Buddhist Sacred Place in the World" and the top among the "Ten Summer Resort Mountains of China". Besides the amazing mountain landscapes, visitors can also take a visit to the temples on Mt. Wutai and learn about Buddhism culture in China.

Landscapes and Temples
Temples on Mt. Wutai

With an altitude of 2795 meters, Wanghai Peak on the east gains its name for the amazing sea of clouds that can be seen on the peak. Guayue Peak is 2773 meters high on the west, which is a good place to watch the moon. With a round flat top, the Jinxiu Peak on the south is 2485 meters high with many little wild flowers scattering. Among the five peaks, the Yedou Peak on the North is highest with altitude of 3061 meters and is hailed as the Roof of North China. The Cuiyan Peak in the middle is 2894 meters high; its name comes from its surface covered with abundant grasses and trees.

As one of the places with oldest Buddhism temples in China, there are no less than 300 temples on Mt. Wutai in the past, while only 95 exist today with about 30,000 Buddhist sculpture made of clay, porcelain, metal, stone and wood. Among the existing Buddhist temples, Foguang Temple and Nanchan Temple are the oldest wooden once existing in China, while it is Xiantong Temple (or Lingjiu Temple), Tayuan Temple, Pusading Temple, Canxiang Temple and Luohou Temple that are regarded as the Five Buddhist Temple on Mt. Wutai. In Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), temples on Mt. Wutai began to divide into green temple and yellow temple with coming of Tibetan Buddhism. Most monks of green temples, who wore green or grey frocks, were of Han ethnic group, while monks of yellows temples in yellow believed in Tibetan Buddhism.

Nowadays, Mt. Wutai has been included into the World Heritage List because of its invaluable Buddhism historical relics and heritages. All in all, Mt. Wutai is really worth exploring during China travel!