Nanchang Jiuhua Mountain One-Day Trip
Yesterday, I drove from Nanchang to the entrance of Jiuhua Mountain, which took about 4.5 hours. On weekends, private cars are not allowed up the mountain, so I had to take the scenic area shuttle bus, which took about 20 minutes up the mountain.
Lunch was at Xunwei Lou (Anhui cuisine): chicken soup, maodou tofu, stinky mandarin fish, and Polygonatum. I'd rate it 8 out of 10.
This was my first time staying in a temple. The single room was unavailable, so I got a standard room in the Buddhist Accounting Center of Zhan Tan Lin Temple! The air conditioning and hot water were good, but there was no tea bags, mineral water, or power bank provided. The price was a bit more expensive than the guesthouses at the foot of the mountain. But coming to Jiuhua Mountain, who doesn't want to seek peace? Staying in the temple is certainly safer.
In front of the hotel is the Dabei Hall (Great Compassion Hall), and to the right is the old Mahavira Hall, originally built during the Kangxi period. The stone wall in front of the steps is said to have been repaired during the Empress Dowager Cixi's time, so the phoenix is above the dragon. During the Cultural Revolution, the wooden carvings on the hall were damaged by the "Four Olds" campaign - a pity. Morning chanting is from 4 to 6 AM at Baohua Hall! I missed the time, so I just killed time at the breakfast area early. The morning vegetarian meal included fried dried tofu, fried eggplant, bean paste buns, fried rice, plain congee. The self-ground soybean milk was very pure. There were no eggs. The pickles were too salty, so better take a little. I took too much and had to force down another bowl of congee to finish it.
Master Hui Shen's head-touching blessing was around 10 AM. Our timing was off, unfortunately. Next time.
Jiuhua Mountain is a small town where monks and laypeople live together. Temples of all sizes are lined up one after another, and you can see Mahavira Hall everywhere. The temples are built along the mountain. There are various hotels and guesthouses interspersed among them. The paths are relatively flat. There aren't too many tourists. Huacheng Temple is the founding temple. The releasing pond in front is beautiful. When pigeons take off, they draw exclamations from tourists.
For the rest of the itinerary, I only remember entering different temples one after another, burning incense and worshipping Buddha! Yue Shen Bao Dian (Moon Body Hall) - the characters 'yue' and 'rou' are homophones - it houses the relics of enlightened monks! Shangchan Hall, Dripping Water Guanyin, Hundred-Year Palace, Five Hundred Arhats Hall, Guanyin Temple. In the temples, it's not appropriate or convenient to take photos.
Jiuhua Mountain is truly a holy place for worshiping Buddha, but not the best spot for sightseeing.
At noon, we chose a vegetarian set meal at Wensuzhai, which the guide said was the best local vegetarian food. It cost 108 yuan per person. I'd rate it 7 out of 10. The dessert was a pre-made meal - honestly, very average. Time to go back.
