A Retreat from the Hustle and Bustle: My Pilgrimage with My Daughter to Jiuhua Mountain to Fulfill a Vow
In September 2012, I made a prayer at Jiuhua Mountain in Anhui. Seven years have passed since then, during which my daughter and son came into my life, and my career also improved significantly. Since the children were too young, I couldn't fulfill my vow in time. Now that my daughter is seven years old and can walk on her own for short trips, I decided to take her on a trip during this summer vacation, right after her kindergarten graduation and before she starts elementary school. Coincidentally, August is the birthday month of Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva, so I booked a three-day pure pilgrimage tour to Jiuhua Mountain from August 24th to 26th.
Day 1: I booked a high-speed train for around 10 a.m. on the 24th. Fearing traffic jams, we left home a little after 8 a.m. Fortunately, the road conditions were acceptable. We arrived at Wuxi just after 9 a.m. I carried two bags: a large climbing backpack and an ordinary schoolbag. I gave the small bag to my daughter and told her that from now on she would be responsible for it. She agreed eagerly, looking excited.
The train left at around 10 a.m. and arrived at Chizhou High-Speed Rail Station after 1 p.m. I had contacted the tour guide earlier, and she was waiting at the station. I thought we would be part of a large group, but it turned out she was assigned only to my daughter and me, like a private tour with a local guide. Jiuhua Mountain Scenic Area uses a combined transportation ticket, which can be purchased directly at the high-speed rail exit. This 50 RMB ticket covers round trips between the high-speed rail station, the tourist distribution center, and the core scenic area, so no additional tickets are needed.
While the guide was handling the combined ticket, my daughter and I found a small restaurant near the station for lunch. Since the bus was leaving at 2 p.m., we just ordered some fried noodles. I have to say, the food in Anhui is quite heavy on oil. The fried noodles were swimming in oil. We hurried back to the station, and the guide was already a bit anxious.
On the bus, a staff member began introducing the cable car tickets. Since most passengers were individual travelers, she explained the prices: 100 RMB round trip for Baisui Palace, 160 for Tiantai, and 160 for Huatai. The guide could only handle the Tiantai cable car ticket, so I bought the Baisui Palace and Huatai tickets from the staff.
At the distribution center, the guide led us off and asked if we wanted to drop off our luggage first, mentioning that we would pass by the hotel. That was great, as my shoulders were sore. We checked in. The hotel was nice, though the bathroom was a bit small.
After storing our luggage, the tour officially began. Our first stop was the Jiuhua Mountain Dayuan Cultural Park. We passed through the memorial archway, took the scenic sightseeing bus through the Jiuzi Jiasha Square, Buddha Light Pool, and White Marble Lotus Throne, and arrived at the foot of the 99-meter giant Buddha. We saw the huge bronze statue of Diting (mythical beast). The Buddha was truly magnificent. In the afternoon, the sunlight shone directly on the golden Buddha, making it glitter. We climbed the steps; I had heard that one should step on lotus patterns or copper coins when going up and down, so I asked my daughter to step on the lotus patterns. At the top, we followed the proper order: offered incense, bowed, and circled the Buddha three times. I should mention that all temples in Jiuhua Mountain offer three free incense sticks, and visitors are not allowed to burn tall incense. That's commendable. Since we didn't stop at the Buddha Light Pool and Lotus Throne on the way up, I specifically asked the guide to show them on the way down. After paying respects, we got off at the Buddha Light Pool. The pool was covered with golden tiles, giving it a golden hue. However, the water was a bit dirty. The guide said that since the cultural park is now free, maintenance is not as timely. I had my daughter stand on the central axis to look at the Buddha; the giant Buddha stood on the lotus throne, which seemed to bloom right above the Buddha Light Pool, creating a harmonious scene.
For dinner, we ate at the Ke Village Food Street behind the hotel. We ordered local specialties: stir-fried bracken with pork, "Jiuhua unique" (mushroom, Polygonatum, and bamboo shoot soup), and corn fritters. My daughter found the corn fritters too sweet and the bracken a bit sour—she didn't really like them.
Day 2: Tiantai, Ancient Puja Terrace, Tiantai Temple; in the afternoon, Huacheng Temple, Tripitaka Treasure Hall, Flesh Body Hall, Baisui Palace, Five Hundred Arhat Hall, Qiyuan Temple.
The schedule was packed. We took the scenic area bus at Jiuhua Street, but unfortunately got stuck in traffic. The guide said it was her first time encountering this. My daughter also got a bit carsick. We took the cable car to Tiantai, then climbed countless steps to reach the Ancient Puja Terrace, where we paid respects to Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva's footprint, said to be left when he chanted sutras. It's a must to step on it. There, we encountered a group of elderly women from Fujian on a pilgrimage. They were rude, cutting in line and pushing. My daughter was pushed off the footprint platform, and her outdoor shoes got dirty. We reached the foot of Tiantai Temple, rested by the stone carvings, then climbed up the right-hand stairs to worship at Tiantai Temple. We passed through Yixiantian (a narrow crevice) and climbed to the back mountaintop, where the phrase "When you look down from the top, all other mountains seem small" came to mind. It's possible to walk from Tiantai to Huatai, but it would take 3-4 hours on steep mountain paths. We decided to go down decisively, passing through a cave on the left cliff and descending step by step.
After taking the cable car down from Tiantai, we had lunch on Jiuhua Street. We ordered local dishes: scrambled eggs with stone ear, stir-fried bamboo shoots with pork, and soup. The cost of living in Anhui is reasonable; prices at the scenic area are similar to ordinary restaurants in our hometown. After lunch, we walked up Jiuhua Street. I touched the head and tail of the Diting statue; the guide said it would bring good luck. She asked if I wanted to visit the Flesh Body Hall. I said it was a must, because that's where I made my original vow. On the way to the Flesh Body Hall, we passed a large gate, which the guide said was the Tripitaka Treasure Hall. I said if time allowed, I'd like to pay respects. Inside, my daughter saw the Maitreya Buddha. I told her she could make a wish to Maitreya. The Tripitaka Treasure Hall is quite large, consisting of three halls. Then we entered the gate of the Flesh Body Hall. My daughter asked, "Do we have to climb again?" I said, "Count to one hundred, and we'll be at the top." So we climbed. At the Flesh Body Hall, I fulfilled my vow and made new ones. Since the 30th day of the seventh lunar month was approaching, the hall was already being decorated, and there were more people.
Back in 2012, you could circle the hall three times inside, but now it's not allowed, so we only circled outside three times. Then we took the cable car to Baisui Palace. At the observation deck of Baisui Palace, we saw the Sleeping Buddha. To the left is Baisui Palace, to the right is Dongya Zen Temple. Since it enshrines the monk Wuxia, the exterior walls are all white. Baisui Palace is the only temple that houses a real mummy. It has several inner courtyards. Many pilgrims were burning incense. We happened to catch a Buddhist ceremony. After sincerely offering incense and paying respects, we returned the same way. Due to time, we skipped Dongya Zen Temple. On the cable car down, we passed Qiyuan Temple. Its exterior architecture is distinctive, quite different from other temples. It wasn't on the itinerary, but since online reviews said it was worth visiting, I discussed with the guide, and eventually only my daughter and I went in to worship.
For dinner, I contacted a friend in Qingyang. He picked us up from the hotel and took us to the county town for dinner. The four of us finished two bottles of baijiu. My daughter got carsick on the mountain roads, but luckily she recovered slowly. Otherwise, it would have been miserable. After dinner, we rode bicycles around the local Furong Lake. Finally, we hired a designated driver to take us back to the hotel. It was already past 10 p.m. after showering. We quickly went to sleep to prepare for the next day.
Day 3 was purely for fun. We went to Huatai Scenic Area. This cable car is the longest in Jiuhua Mountain, taking about 15 minutes to reach the upper station. The guide said climbing from the left and descending from the right would be easier and offer better scenery. So we started climbing up the left steps. Since it was Monday, there were few people. We kept climbing and eventually reached the top of Huatai. The view from the top was stunning: the sky was as blue as a sapphire, and the white clouds were like cotton balls. We took many photos. We headed to the Skywalk, where the scenery was even more beautiful. The mountain breeze was refreshing. Along the way, we saw mushroom clusters, balance stones, and "Immortal drying boots." Green mountains, strange rocks, sturdy pines, with blue sky and white clouds, formed a harmonious picture. It made me appreciate the great rivers and mountains of our country. One thoughtful detail: on the branches of trees extending diagonally onto the walkway, at about 1.6 meters height, they had tied hemp ropes, presumably to prevent tourists from bumping their heads. If that's the case, the management of Huatai is very considerate. The only pity was that we didn't see the Stone Buddha, and there was no reminder. After the loop, we reached the upper station of the Huatai cable car, taking about 2.5 hours.
After lunch, we discussed with the hotel front desk and checked out at 2 p.m. So we rested a bit in the room, took a quick shower, packed our luggage and emotions, and started our journey home.
