2020 Dragon Boat Festival Chengdu Travel Guide, Chengdu Hotel Recommendation - Chengdu Ximu Shanju Hotel (Shaanxi Street Branch)

Talk about this trip:

Chengdu is a city of ease and leisure, with a long history and culture. My earliest impression of Chengdu came from Du Fu's poem: 'At dawn see the moist red place, the heavy flowers in the Brocade City.' It is full of the moisture of the south. Although the road to Shu is difficult, the leisure of the Brocade City still fascinates people. And modern Chengdu people have given Chengdu a new fashion vitality that makes people linger. At the premiere ceremony of Wang Chaoge's new play 'Only Mount Emei', I came to Chengdu again, came to Mount Emei.

1. Preparations before departure:

1, Essential items: ID card (student card), various valid documents, cash, credit cards.

2, Camera, memory card, charger. Phone, charger, laptop if needed. Develop a good habit of carrying paper and pen in your bag; these two items can be used anytime.

3, Clothing: Chengdu is hot in summer and cold in winter. In spring and autumn, T-shirts and jackets are enough. Summer maximum temperature can reach 35°C, so take precautions against heatstroke. The rainy season is mainly from May to July, so bring rain gear when traveling.

4, Also bring sunscreen, moisturizer, sunglasses, wet wipes, some cold medicine and motion sickness medicine. Toothbrush and toothpaste – although hotels provide them, it's recommended to bring your own.

1, Airport bus. Bus schedule:

2, Airport metro. Chengdu Shuangliu Airport has a metro line; take Line 10 into the city and transfer to Line 3. It is convenient for visiting Wuhou Temple, Chunxi Road, and Panda Base. Especially during rush hour, it can avoid road traffic jams. Chengdu is known as a city of traffic jams, so taking the metro is the best choice.

3, Scenic direct buses. There are direct buses near famous scenic spots in Chengdu, running every hour. For distant places like Panda Base, Sanxingdui, Jinsha Site, Qingcheng Mountain, and Anren Ancient Town, this saves the trouble of multiple transfers, which is quite good.

3. Accommodation:

When visiting scenic spots in Chengdu, you can generally return on the same day and stay overnight in Chengdu. I recommend a very distinctive hotel – Chengdu Ximu Shanju Hotel (Shaanxi Street Branch).

Chengdu Ximu Shanju Hotel (Shaanxi Street Branch) is located in the city center – No. 130 Shaanxi Street, southwest of Tianfu Square. It is about 930 meters from Metro Lines 1 and 2, about 327 meters from People's Park, about 350 meters from the popular Heming Old Teahouse (inside People's Park), about 290 meters from the Pig Trotter Street, about 1.3 km from Kuanzhai Alley, about 1.8 km from Wuhou Temple Jinli, about 1.6 km from Chunxi Road, and about 2.5 km from Taikoo Li. The location is excellent with convenient transportation. The hotel has 94 guest rooms. On the hotel grounds is a provincial key cultural relic – the Shaanxi Guild Hall, built in the Kangxi period, with a door plaque inscribed by Mr. Yu Youren. The 300-year-old simple architectural style and modern fashion complement each other, full of the charm of ancient Shu culture, letting you sleep surrounded by a classical Chinese garden courtyard, enjoying tranquility in the midst of the city, elegant and refined.

I believe Chengdu is more obsessed with food than any other place in China. In Chengdu, eating is not just a need but a culture and temperament. In Chengdu, many people recommend newly discovered food shops during conversations. This trend promotes the continuous innovation and renewal of Chengdu cuisine. As one of the eight major cuisines, Sichuan cuisine is known for its spicy and numbing flavors. In Chengdu, restaurants of all kinds are everywhere on the streets. Chengdu's snacks are also abundant: Dongzikou Liangfen, Tongguo Alley Sushi, Tan Douhua, Shiyou Mian, Feichang Fen... countless, and they are very cheap.

Chengdu is home to Shu Brocade, one of China's four famous brocades, and Shu Embroidery, one of the four famous embroideries. There are a wide variety of high-quality products, making them a great choice for shopping in Chengdu. Vases, coffee sets, flower sets, and rice bowls woven from porcelain bamboo strips are also exquisite. In addition, there are Qingcheng silk carpets, tapestries, and rugs. If you love drinking, famous liquors like Luzhou Laojiao, Quanxing Daqu, and Shuijingfang are excellent choices for wine lovers.

6. Best travel season:

The best travel seasons in Chengdu are March to June in the first half of the year and September to November in the second half. July and August are the hottest months.

7. Itinerary:

Day 1: Chengdu – People's Park – Wenshu Monastery – Wangjiang Tower Park – Jiuyan Bridge – Jingjie Bar

Day 2: Baoguo Temple – Fuhu Temple – Only Mount Emei Performance

DAY1: Parks are the soul of this city.

While traveling, people are always eager to explore unknown places. When they arrive, locals often say 'it's boring' to dismiss visitors, probably because habit replaces novelty. The only thing that remains touching is the soul of the whole city. For Chengdu, People's Park is the soul.

People's Park carries the glorious memories of the older generation of Chengdu people, as this park was one of the earliest parks established in Sichuan and even in China at that time. Every plant, tree, water, and scene in the garden records the tragedy and vicissitudes of Chengdu.

People's Park has a unique elegance and calmness. The resting cultural corridor consists of ancient poems related to Sichuan. Morning and evening, men, women, old and young bring their families here for a stroll and to relax.

The lack of desire in the Shu region is fully displayed here. Before the morning dew has completely evaporated, many aunties have gathered in the small square to exercise. When the lights come on at night, the older generation starts their daily routine – square dancing, their happy and confident smiles attracting onlookers.

In my impression, city parks have large square platforms, artificial lakes, rockeries, and pavilions. People's Park is the opposite: it does not seek size or breadth. When you are in it, you see winding stone paths, lush green trees, and simple and elegant tiled houses and pavilions dotted in the forest. It is not a fairyland but surpasses one.

From this angle, it looks like a park built in a forest. The paths are lined with lush trees. Walking along, you can clearly feel the continuous oxygen coming, the air filled with fresh moisture, and even the fragrance of soil.

People's Park was originally called Shaocheng Park. This is because as early as the Qin Hui Wang period, Chengdu was divided into Taicheng (Big City) and Shaocheng (Small City). People's Park was built on the land of Shaocheng, hence named Shaocheng Park. After the liberation of Chengdu, it was officially renamed People's Park.

This city in Sichuan has a glorious red tradition. Countless revolutionaries shed blood and sacrificed their lives here to save the nation from peril. To remember the outstanding contributions of the ancestors, the park has a corridor showcasing stories of Sichuan anti-Japanese generals and soldiers, a monument to the fallen soldiers of the Sichuan army, a memorial hall documenting the resistance of Sichuan military and civilians, and modern national defense science and technology art relief.

More than a hundred years ago, to commemorate the martyrs who died in the Railway Protection Movement, the Sichuan-Hankou Railway Company built the 'Monument to the Martyrs of the Railway Protection Movement in the Autumn of Xinhai' in the park, integrating Chinese and Western stele art, inspiring the passionate youth of a generation.

The Sichuan Railway Protection Movement History Exhibition Hall shares the same building as the Ginkgo Pavilion, nestled among quiet and serene forests. The martyrs who gave their precious lives for the Railway Protection Movement would surely feel gratified to see today's prosperous and peaceful Chengdu.

Chengdu is known as the city of tea drinking. In today's fast-paced development, no other city in China is more leisurely than Chengdu. People's Park has the largest open-air teahouse in the country. A cup of covered tea, a long bamboo chair, a red square table – a whole day of leisure is spent in the rich fragrance of fine tea.

With the development of modern society, many old crafts have nearly disappeared, but the traditional crafts of Chengdu have not been overshadowed by the times. Ear cleaning, tea drinking, and Sichuan opera face-changing deeply influence the lives of contemporary Chengdu people.

I like People's Park not only for its excellent ecological environment but more for the calm and peace embedded in the bones of Chengdu people. Only here, people don't have to chase the forward-moving train, don't have to think about the pressure of life. Isn't the tolerance and open-mindedness that modern people lack exactly what People's Park expresses?

'Young people should not enter Sichuan' – an old saying used by ancestors to admonish their descendants: the beautiful environment and rich life in Shu can easily breed laziness. From a modern perspective, leisure is still the main tone of this city, but busyness is also an important color of Chengdu.

Most of the time, Chengdu's busyness and leisure are opposites. Only here can these opposing states of life find a balance. That place is Wenshu Monastery – the chief of the four great Chan forests along the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze River in China.

Wenshu Monastery was first built in the Sui Dynasty. According to legend, it was built for the 'Holy Nun' by the favored concubine of Yang Xiu, the Prince of Shu and son of Emperor Wen of Sui. Therefore, the original name of the monastery was Xinxiang Temple. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, Xinxiang Temple was destroyed by war, leaving only ten iron-cast guardian statues and two thousand-year-old ancient junipers that survived the calamity.

During the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, Master Cidu practiced asceticism between the two junipers of the abandoned temple. With the support of officials, gentry, and the people, he rebuilt the temple. Master Cidu, with his extraordinary cultivation, manifested a firelight auspicious sign in meditation. The common people, thinking it miraculous and unbelievable, believed he was an incarnation of Manjushri Bodhisattva, so the temple was renamed Wenshu Monastery.

The saying 'Great hermits hide in the city' probably refers to such sacred places as Wenshu Monastery. It is located in Qingyang District, Chengdu, only 10 minutes from Luomashi Shopping Center. The temple bells sound harmoniously and beautifully amidst the bustling city traffic. Busy people always find time to come here to light incense and seek inner peace.

Hundreds of years have passed since the Kangxi period. The erosion of wind and rain has not changed the appearance of Wenshu Monastery, still as exquisitely carved and magnificent as before. The rebuilt monastery shows typical western Sichuan plain ancient architectural style. The buildings are made of wood and stone, with exquisite carved columns and capitals. The bracket sets demonstrate the pinnacle of ancient achievements in architectural decoration.

Having heard of Wenshu Monastery's reputation for a long time, a personal visit reveals its majestic grandeur. Although it is a Buddhist temple, it is as gorgeous and exquisite as a palace. The sculptures inside the temple are all from famous masters, with high cultural relic value.

The fourth main hall of Wenshu Monastery is the Lecture Hall, whose foundation is the site of the ancient Xinxiang Temple, mainly for Buddha's teachings. Inside, a faint fragrance lingers, the pleasant sound of wooden fish is heard, the statue of Guanyin is solemn, and the large characters 'Kong Lin' (empty grove) are imposing. The 'Kong Lin' stele was made from the calligraphy of Emperor Kangxi in 1702, hence Wenshu Monastery is also known as 'Kong Lin Tang'.

In front of the Sutra Library is a place for Buddhist activities. The courtyard is filled with strong Buddhist atmosphere. The ancient trees on both sides block out the sun. Three golden Buddha statues are solemn and majestic. It is said that from different angles, the expressions of the Buddhas slightly differ: from afar they look kind and compassionate, while up close they appear solemn and inviolable.

The most eye-catching thing in the main hall is the color painting 'Lion's Roar' under the golden plaque 'Zheng Fa Yan Zang' (True Dharma Eye Treasury). The lion is the king of beasts, with the power to awe the world. Buddhism uses this as a metaphor, symbolizing that Buddhism, like the lion, drives away the world's troubles with great wisdom. The Burmese jade Buddha enshrined in the shrine is priceless. It was brought back by monk Xinglin of Wenshu Monastery, who walked to Myanmar in 1922, enduring hardships and fundraising along the way, extremely precious.

Although Wenshu Monastery is just a Buddhist temple, its significance has long exceeded that. It has become a good place for Chengdu people to worship Buddha, drink tea, chat, do morning exercises, and sunbathe. Different people can find a place for their soul in this courtyard.

Wenshu Monastery strictly follows Chinese architectural philosophy, facing south to ensure the Buddha can fully absorb the essence of heaven and earth. The five main halls are located on the central axis facing the mountain gate, with a regular layout and grand momentum. The five halls are: Heavenly King Hall, Three Great Bodhisattva Hall, Mahavira Hall, Lecture Hall, and Sutra Library. They are connected by long corridors and dense pillars, forming a closed courtyard compound.

The Konglin Library is a professional library in Wenshu Monastery that mainly collects Buddhist scriptures, covering literature, history, and philosophy. The Sutra Library is the building with the deepest cultural heritage in Wenshu Monastery. It was rebuilt in the Daoguang period, supported by 48 stone pillars, with seven bays wide and four bays deep. Famous relics such as Buddha's relics, Arhat relics, and the skull relic of Xuanzang, along with most of the 'Eight Views of Kong Lin', are treasured in the Sutra Library.

Pines and cypresses are dense, pagodas are lofty, incense smoke rises gracefully from red pillars and gray tiles. The temple bell makes the whole city fall into a peaceful and harmonious atmosphere. Busy people passing by the temple gate unconsciously slow down, pick up a stick of incense, and record the lazy time of Chengdu.

Since ancient times, poets have often entered Shu. Li Bai, Du Fu, Li Shangyin, Xue Tao, Su Shi, and Lu You once lived in Chengdu, leaving many eternal masterpieces. Among many famous people, Xue Tao's name seems dim. But Wangjiang Tower Park, located on the south bank of the Jin River at Jiuyan Bridge, was built to commemorate this Tang Dynasty poetess.

In Wangjiang Tower Park, dense bamboo forests line the paths. Walking in, it feels like passing through a long tunnel, with sunlight at the end guiding people to slowly see the bumpy life of this talented Shu woman. Xue Tao was born in Chang'an. As a child, due to political turmoil, she and her family moved to Chengdu. Later, her father died, and forced by life, she became a government courtesan. Xue Tao was not only beautiful but also extremely talented. In the Tang Dynasty a thousand years ago, she was quite famous. Later generations listed her alongside Yu Xuanji, Li Ye, and Liu Caichun as the 'Four Great Poetesses of the Tang Dynasty', and together with Zhuo Wenjun, Lady Huarui, and Huang E as the 'Four Talented Women of Shu'.

In the park, what catches the eye are various green bamboos. Xue Tao loved bamboo all her life. To commemorate her, later generations brought various bamboo species from all over the country to plant here. Today, the park has more than 200 species of bamboo from home and abroad, some quite rare. For thousands of years, these bamboos have silently grown and rustled in the wind, playing a unique heavenly sound for this devoted woman.

Rain wets the paths, the stone slabs emit a warm luster. Surrounded by green bamboos, people seem more elegant. The scenery in the garden seems to have been soaked in poetic imagery.

As a talented and beautiful female scholar, Xue Tao's charm captivated half of the Tang Dynasty. She corresponded with many famous poets, including Bai Juyi, Liu Yuxi, and Du Mu. The military governor Wei Gao particularly favored her, even allowing her to work as a collator. Xue Tao wrote poems, exchanged verses, and corresponded with poets. They generously wrote poems praising her. During this time, Xue Tao used stream water to dye small letter papers into ten colors, such as deep red, pink, and bright yellow, creating exquisite and portable 'Xue Tao Papers', which became widely popular. According to records: 'In the mid-Tang period, the Shu courtesan Xue Tao made ten-colored small papers at Baihua Pond for chanting, then called Xue Tao Papers, also known as Shu Papers.'

Besides Xue Tao and the bamboo grove, what makes Wangjiang Tower famous is the countless couplets in the park. The two most famous are on Wangjiang Tower. One of them has 212 characters, expressing emotion through scenery, discussing ancient and modern times, written in one breath, still the longest couplet in China. The other is more famous because no one can match the second line, becoming an 'unsolved case'. Legend has it that a talented scholar from the Qing Dynasty wrote it while ascending the tower and enjoying the view: 'Wangjiang Tower, watching the river flow, on Wangjiang Tower watching the river flow; the river flows for a thousand ages, the tower stands for a thousand ages.' After writing, he felt quite proud and was lost in the artistic conception of the first line, but couldn't be satisfied with the second line, so he reluctantly left only the first line on Wangjiang Tower. For over a hundred years, this first line has attracted countless scholars.

This year marks the 130th anniversary of the opening of Wangjiang Tower. It was first built in the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, originally named Chongli Pavilion, taken from Zuo Si's 'Rhapsody on the Shu Capital': 'Both beautiful and lofty, truly called Chengdu.' Because the pavilion is by the Jin River, it is also called 'Wangjiang Tower', and has become a landmark of Chengdu's historical and cultural city.

Looking up, Wangjiang Tower looks like a beautifully dressed woman, colorful and charming. The tower is nearly 30 meters high, a full wood tenon-and-mortise structure with four double-eaves. Each layer's roof ridge and brackets are decorated with exquisite animal clay sculptures and figure carvings, with red pillars and green tiles.

The entire park, against the backdrop of bamboos, intermittently reveals traces of Xue Tao. The Loquat Gate Lane, Zhuo Jin Tower, Xue Tao Well, Huan Jian Pavilion, Yin Shi Tower, Wangjiang Tower... For this noble and lonely poetic soul, people come searching for her. Red gates and green bamboos, red walls and green tiles – all scenery becomes the background.

In front is a building resembling a painted pleasure boat, named Zhuo Jin Tower, built in the Jiaqing period of the Qing Dynasty. Because it faces the Zhuojin River (now the Jin River), it is named Zhuo Jin Tower. During the Ming Dynasty, this was a water wharf to leave Sichuan. Farewells at the river tower, boats on the Jin River, gatherings of celebrities. Yang Sheng'an once wrote a poem here: 'On the river tower, high pillow Jin River willows.' It is said that Zhuo Jin Tower was built to commemorate Xue Tao's boat parties and farewells to close friends. Among these close friends was Yuan Zhen, whom she loved mistakenly for a lifetime. After a beautiful and lingering year together, this devoted but also fickle talented scholar and court official eventually left her. Heartbroken, Xue Tao then donned a Taoist robe, withdrew from worldly affairs, and lived a quiet and lonely secluded life until her death.

Xue Tao Well was originally called Yunü Jin. The spring water was sweet and suitable for making wine and paper. Because the Shu Prince's mansion in the Ming Dynasty used water from this well to imitate Xue Tao Papers, later it was mistakenly believed that Xue Tao herself used this well water to make her papers, hence the name Xue Tao Well. Although it is a misconception and has little to do with Xue Tao, it is like a beautiful lie that everyone is willing to believe.

Although she was a talented woman, she was ultimately a courtesan by origin and could not be recognized by the world. Xue Tao was no exception; all her talent and brilliance were overshadowed by her lowly status, and it was only later generations that vindicated her. Now, on her tombstone is inscribed 'Tomb of Xue Hongdu, Female Collator of Tang'. After more than a thousand years, she finally transformed from a delicate flower by Huanhua Stream into a tall and upright bamboo by the Jin River.

The beauty has passed away with the wind. Now no one cares whether she was a courtesan. She could write good poems, make beautiful papers, and loved bamboo – she must have been an elegant person. So plant a bamboo grove, build a park, so that this lonely soul can have a place to belong.

Along the Funan River, from the Jiuyan Bridge Pier to the Anshun Gallery Bridge, is the famous Jiuyan Bridge Bar Street. As night deepens, Jiuyan Bridge is ablaze with neon lights. Moonlight and lamplight are blurred by the passion of human life, faintly revealing a pavilion, two bridges, and many figures.

In the minds of Chengdu people, 'Jiuyan Bridge' no longer refers simply to a bridge, but to a place name, a bar culture. Jiuyan Bridge is to Chengdu what Houhai is to Beijing – a gathering place for artistic bars. In 2002, starting from the first bar, more businesses moved in, and the night scene of the nine-arch bridge grew increasingly rich. More and more locals come here to find the taste of life.

Outsiders also come, wanting to see Jiuyan Bridge, but they don't know that what you see may not be the real thing; the bridge they speak of may not be the bridge itself. The Anshun Gallery Bridge spanning the Funan River is often mistaken for Jiuyan Bridge. People 'mistake Feng Jing for Ma Liang', but it doesn't affect the beauty of this bridge at all.

Anshun Bridge has a long history and is known as the oldest covered bridge in downtown Chengdu, and it's also the most beautiful part of the night view in the Jiuyan Bridge area. When Marco Polo traveled the world, he recorded four bridges in China, one of which was Anshun Gallery Bridge. Today, the stone carvings on the archway at the bridgehead also record the old stories of Marco Polo's visit to Chengdu.

In daylight, Anshun Gallery Bridge is not particularly noticeable, but once the lights turn on at night, the dark and light bricks, the upturned eaves seem to emit an indescribable magic. Together with the towering modern buildings behind, they seem to be in the same space but not in the same time.

Not far from Anshun Gallery Bridge, at the junction of the Fu River and the Nan River, is the Hejiang Pavilion built during the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty. The thousand-year-old pavilion is resplendent in the night, supported by ten pillars holding up a connected double pavilion, with an ingenious design. Because the name contains the character 'he' (union), people endow the pavilion with beautiful meanings like 'a harmonious union lasting a hundred years' and 'perfect match'. Many couples take photos here – 'I want to win one person's heart, and never part until white hair.'

Jiuyan Bridge got its name from a nine-arch stone bridge. The old Jiuyan Bridge was built in the Ming Dynasty, with a history of over 400 years, and was demolished in 1992. The Jiuyan Bridge seen today is a steel-framed concrete bridge built in 1988, with far more than nine arches, so it's somewhat a misnomer. Even so, Jiuyan Bridge under the cover of night is still charming. The river surface is illuminated by lights, like a canvas undulating with fragmented and crazy oil paints, both real and illusory.

'Music fills the Brocade City day and night, half in the river breeze, half in the clouds.' The quiet brought by the fall of night uniquely bypasses Jiuyan Bridge. On the bar street, lights come on one after another, singing and dancing, lively and bustling. The bars of Jiuyan Bridge mostly originated from bars near Sichuan University. They are frequented mostly by students, teachers, poets, and artists, with a rich cultural atmosphere and full of artistic flair.

Regardless of the weather, when the moon rises, the bar street is always bustling with traffic and colorful lights. Hundreds of bars dress Jiuyan Bridge in various charms. Most bars here have outdoor seating. Whether you sit outside to enjoy the river view and have a drink, or sit inside to listen to music and chat, it's very pleasant.

Jingjie Bar is an 'old brand' on this street, open for nearly 15 years. A bar for 15 years has long evolved from a place to get drunk to a place of sentiment. Upon entering, there is a small courtyard. Music drifts gently, not noisy; drinking and chatting are not affected. Sitting in the courtyard, you can also watch projections while enjoying the evening breeze. On nights with sports events, it's even livelier.

The interior of the bar is elegantly decorated, with a hint of old-world charm. The singers sing with deep emotion, murmuring their own stories in soft singing. The resident singers at Jingjie Bar are of a high standard; it is said that singers like Yu Kewei once performed here.

As the night deepens, the atmosphere thickens. The initial stiffness upon sitting has been diluted by alcohol. The bar at this moment is excited, full of sentiment. People chatting in the dimly lit bar jointly create a meaningful sound wave.

The singer expresses emotions through music, people seek resonance in songs. Comfortable sofas and low glass tables, small groups drinking a few cups, or couples talking heart to heart.

The colorful lights emit a warm glow, light flickers gently around people. The songs slowly and melodiously rise, swallowing the bar's noise. At this moment, time is so soft.

With the help of alcohol and a specific environment, people release stress and depression. Drinking without getting drunk, wandering between dreams and reality, and then turning around to leave.

Bars are like the spiritual homeland of urbanites, opening at dusk and closing at dawn. Between night and day, not only time passes. Like-minded people, those sharing the same sorrow, those unwilling to give up, support and comfort each other, getting through the vast wilderness of life.

Young people drink for fun, middle-aged people drink to drown sorrows. Either way, tonight, I don't care about humanity, only about you beside me.

'Words forgotten at the moment of speaking, dreams within dreams are both unreal.' Day after day, how many are infatuated with the nightscape of Jiuyan Bridge. Chengdu, the night is not over.

DAY2: Wang Chaoge's 'Only Mount Emei' Global Premiere: It Takes Six Days to See the Entire Play

When coming to Chengdu, many people visit Mount Emei. After visiting Mount Emei, you will know Baoguo Temple. There are many ancient temples on Mount Emei, and Baoguo Temple is the first among them. Pilgrims heading to the top of Mount Emei start their journey from here. The location of Baoguo Temple is not particularly quiet; there is a road right in front of its gate, and 50 meters away is the back gate of Southwest Jiaotong University. The large plaque with black characters on a gold background 'Baoguo Temple' on the mountain gate was inscribed by Emperor Kangxi, meaning 'repaying the country's kindness' from the Buddhist concept of 'four debts and four repayments'.

Baoguo Temple was first built in the 43rd year of the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, over 400 years ago. Its original name was 'Huizong Tang', meaning the gathering of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. Later, Buddhism flourished and squeezed out the first two. During the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, it was renamed from 'Tang' to 'Temple' and has been used ever since. The pair of stone lions in front of the temple gate are said to have been carved in the Ming Dynasty, with exquisite and vivid shapes, majestic, guarding the famous mountain and ancient temple day and night like guardians.

This temple, located in a bustling area, once you enter the gate, it feels like another world – solemn, quiet, with drifting incense smoke. People inside seem to have their own thoughts, silently murmuring various wishes in front of red candles, on wish boards, accompanied by curling smoke. Red candles shine, blue smoke rises, a warmth unique to the human world slowly ascends.

Unlike ordinary temples, Baoguo Temple does not face south but east, greeting the rising sun in the morning and bidding farewell to the sunset in the evening. From the front, Baoguo Temple, built against the mountain with flying eaves and upturned corners, looks like a phoenix about to take flight in the forest. The couplet on the pillars on both sides of the mountain gate reads: 'Phoenix spreads its wings toward the golden palace, bells and chimes often fall on the jade steps' – a vivid description of this 'phoenix' at Baoguo Temple.

There are four courtyards inside, each a different heaven. The main halls are Maitreya Hall, Mahavira Hall, Seven Buddhas Hall, and Samantabhadra Hall, each higher than the last, naturally creating a majestic momentum. A light rain falls, the trees and flowers are washed even more brilliantly. The gray tiles before my eyes turn black, stained by more than 400 years of time, with no trace of decay, only a soul-stirring simplicity and solemnity.

Going up, passing Maitreya Hall and Mahavira Hall, climbing the stone steps leads to the third hall, Seven Buddhas Hall. The hall enshrines seven Buddhas: the middle one is Sakyamuni Buddha, and the other six are past Buddhas, from right to left: Krakucchanda Buddha, Kanakamuni Buddha, Kasyapa Buddha, Visvabhu Buddha, Sikhin Buddha, and Vipasyin Buddha.

All seven Buddhas sit cross-legged on lotus platforms, with serene expressions, eyes slightly closed, silent. The dim hall contrasts sharply with the resplendent golden Buddha bodies. It seems that in pitch darkness, the place of the Buddha is the only direction of light. At first glance, the seven Buddhas seem similar, but on closer inspection, their expressions and hand gestures differ, each vivid and lifelike.

Although time has passed, the carvings on the steles are still lifelike. The lines are smooth, the colors bright, the figures meticulously portrayed. Every detail is finely carved. These steles from the Ming and Qing Dynasties must have been chiseled by hand stroke by stroke. The skill and artistic perception of the stone carvers are admirable.

The magnificent standing statue of Skanda wears armor, holding a mountain in his right hand and a vajra club in his left, with slender eyebrows and phoenix eyes, lips tightly shut, majestic and righteous.

Because Mount Emei is the bodhimanda of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, Samantabhadra Hall is the last hall in Baoguo Temple. The golden statue of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva rides on a white elephant, with a kind and benevolent expression.

Walking in the temple, tourists brush past, but the temple always gives a sense of stillness. The paint-peeling wooden pillars and moss-covered stone lions emit an indescribable magic... The long bell sounds; whose wish is carried away by the wind, whose prayer receives an answer.

'The land of Shu has many immortal mountains, Mount Emei is rare to compare.' Coming to Mount Emei, I think of Guo Xiang, Zhou Zhiruo, Abbess Miejue, Lady White Snake... And the only nunnery on Mount Emei is Fuhu Temple. So in those days, Guo Xiang, Abbess Miejue, and Zhou Zhiruo probably practiced here. Of course, this is just a joke, but I have to admit that the characters derived from the novel are so vivid that they indeed add many mystical colors to this mountain and temple.

Fuhu Temple is one of the many temples on Mount Emei, not far from Baoguo Temple. However, one is bustling with incense, the other is ancient and tranquil. The temple was first built in the Jin Dynasty, originally called Yaoshi Hall. It was renamed several times and finally settled as 'Fuhu Temple'. The name 'Fuhu Temple' has two origins: one says the mountain shape resembles a crouching tiger; another says because there were many tiger disasters in the mountain, a 'Victory Stupa' was built to subdue the tiger. Today, all the bhikkhunis (nuns) on Mount Emei are concentrated in Fuhu Temple, making it one of the largest bhikkhuni monasteries in China.

After climbing the 'Bujinlin' wooden archway, Fuhu Temple is close at hand. 'Bujinlin' was planted by Master Jiwan in the Qing Dynasty according to the number of characters in the Mahayana Sutra, one tree per character, totaling 109,000 trees. This is a mysterious ancient forest spanning between Fuhu Temple and Baoguo Temple. Deep mountains, secluded forest, ancient temple – standing alone from the world.

Fuhu Temple has gone through thousands of years, experiencing several rises and falls, and several repairs. Most of the buildings inside have red paint peeling, heavy moss, looking weathered. Entering the temple gate, the first hall is Maitreya Hall, enshrining the laughing Maitreya Buddha in a seated golden clay statue.

Fuhu Temple is surrounded by Bujinlin, various cypress and nanmu trees so dense they block the sky. Walking among them, it feels 'bright but still dark'. However, although the trees are much higher than the temple halls, the roofs of the great halls are free of withered leaves all year round. Whenever a leaf falls, it is blown away by a mountain breeze before reaching the roof. Emperor Kangxi, learning of this, bestowed the title 'Ligou Yuan' (Pure Land Garden) on the ancient temple forest. Although this rare sight is due to the special terrain of the temple being in a mountain recess, this natural masterpiece still inspires admiration.

Passing Maitreya Hall and continuing upward, the second hall is Samantabhadra Hall, where the golden statue of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva is enshrined.

The Mahavira Hall is the last grand hall in the temple, rebuilt in the 8th year of the Shunzhi period of the Qing Dynasty. It enshrines the three bodies of Buddha: the Dharmakaya, the Sambhogakaya, and the Nirmanakaya. Although three bodies, they are actually one Buddha, with glorious golden bodies and solemn appearance. In front of the Mahavira Hall hang numerous red wish ropes. People in the world always have too many worries and desires. Unable to overcome worries or attain desires, they place their hopes in the gods above.

In the right rear courtyard of the Mahavira Hall, there is a simple pavilion called Huayan Pagoda Pavilion, housing a Ming Dynasty cast purple copper Huayan Pagoda. The pagoda is 5.8 meters tall, with 14 tiers, and the body is cast with over 4,700 small Buddha statues, engraved with the full text of the Huayan Sutra. The Huayan Copper Pagoda is the foremost among Chinese copper pagodas due to its age, large size, and fine casting. Looking at the exquisitely carved and lifelike Buddha statues on the copper pagoda, the ingenuity of ancient people is as admirable and awe-inspiring as nature itself.

The buildings before me are mottled, the steps covered with green moss, having grown for countless years. The thousand-year-old ancient temple has left many historical traces, showing the weight of time. People step in gently, afraid to shatter the tranquility of the mountain.

The mountain is lush and green, with waves of green rolling endlessly. The small black tiles of Fuhu Temple, wood-shingled roofs, and plain ridges appear and disappear in the mist. The nanmu trees are tall and slender, creating a quiet meditative atmosphere.

The Arhat Hall is at the highest point of Fuhu Temple, enshrining the 500 Arhats. It was first built in the Qing Dynasty, later destroyed, rebuilt in 1995, and opened to the public in 1999. Since then, the incense burner in the Arhat Hall has been smoking continuously.

Although it is called the 500 Arhats Hall, there are only 499 arhat statues inside. It is said that the master who sculpted the arhats was also an arhat, so the 500 arhats include that master.

Whether Guo Xiang, Zhou Zhiruo, or Lady White Snake, they are all legendary figures. What truly makes Mount Emei legendary are the ancient temples that truly exist in the mountain. They are hidden in the dense forests of hundreds of thousands of trees, sitting like a bell in the river of time, never changing for thousands of years.

At the foot of Mount Emei, dreams and clouds, fairyland and human world intertwine. Hesitation, restlessness, passion, yet not lacking calmness, like a flowing feast, revealing the joys and sorrows, cruelty and warmth of human life. On September 6, director Wang Chaoge's latest work 'Only Mount Emei' premiered globally at the foot of Mount Emei. The 'Above the Clouds' situational experience theater, 'In the Clouds' garden theater, and 'Under the Clouds' real-scene village theater together form a magnificent and fantastic 'Drama Illusion City'. Here, the lives of others enter the audience in a tangible way; everything is no longer detached observation but empathy.

The stories in 'Only Mount Emei' come from the thousand-year-old profession of porters, from the century-old Gaohe Village in Chuanzhu Town, from ordinary villages 20 years after reform and opening up... Behind the new artistic expression, the unchanging elements are people, life, and the fate and choices faced by generation after generation.

There are 117 acres of large theater complex, 500,000 tiles, 6 performance spaces, 395 rooms, and 4,355 old objects. The audience doesn't know where they become part of the play, touching every hidden detail through their reactions – it might be a small note, a letter, even a cup of tea or a piece of bacon. And every insignificant choice people make determines the direction of the plot. Just like life, every choice hides a huge change in fate. Only that at the crossroads, the moment people make a choice seems nothing more than an ordinary day in the humdrum of daily life.

Life cannot be relived, but here time and space are disorderly, without beginning or end. As long as you are willing, even if you try to check off all randomly triggered plotlines, this illusion city will accompany you until the end of time, forever and ever.

'Above the Clouds' – Situational Experience Theater

'Above the Clouds' has six performance spaces including one semi-outdoor space and five indoor theaters. Each performance can accommodate 1,400 viewers. The audience moves through the show, traveling through time and space, through different stories. The 'Above the Clouds' theater sets up many sea-of-clouds scenes. Only when people really climb to the Golden Summit and stand on the sea of clouds can they look down on the mortal world, on the years and life in the world, and on each person's life.

Above the Clouds creates a place where one can have an 'out-of-body experience' away from the restless society, immersing people in it, unaware of heaven and earth, unaware of beginning and end, even unaware of who they are.

'Under the Clouds' – Real-Scene Village Theater

The original-style real-scene village immerses the audience in vivid life stories filled with human warmth, and in unforgettable nostalgia of parting. It consists of 48 houses, 395 rooms, 27 courtyards, and 104 micro-dramas, covering 20,000 square meters.

These houses were once scheduled for demolition and renovation, but now they have become a 'scenic spot', attracting tourists and audiences.

When people wander through the village, they not only absorb the nourishment from the drama but also experience a process of reposing childhood and nostalgia.

'Perhaps you have been away from the land for a long time / Perhaps you have been away from the salty-smelling water for a long time / Perhaps you have been away from the fire pit for a long time / Perhaps you have been away from the creaking bamboo stool for a long time / Perhaps right now you are eagerly trying to finish the task at hand / Perhaps right now you are eagerly trying to return to a more fashionable, more splendid, richer city / That is not wrong / But by chance, at this moment, you have an unexpected encounter with this small village, bumping into it directly.' (Excerpt from 'Under the Clouds' in Only Mount Emei)

Everyone has a different interpretation of nostalgia, but most importantly, nostalgia occupies an important corner in everyone's heart. In the past, people often said nostalgia is a bond, often with connotations of heaviness and shackles. However, here, the audience sees that nostalgia and the desire to seek a new life have no conflict at all.

In the old village of 'Under the Clouds', the villagers are torn between leaving the declining countryside and going to the 'fragrant' big city. It's okay – leave if you want, stay if you want, return if you want. Nostalgia will not hold a grudge. It will turn into the morning glow in the sky, become the tiles on the eaves, always there. No matter how you choose, live actively, be grateful, and embrace hope; the world will certainly be worth it. (End of full text)