Mount Jiuhua is a granite range south of the Yangtze in Chizhou, Anhui, and one of the Four Sacred Mountains of Chinese Buddhism, dedicated to the bodhisattva Ksitigarbha (Dizang). Its monastic tradition goes back to the eighth-century Korean monk Kim Gyo-gak, revered as Dizang's incarnation, and dozens of temples still stand among its ninety-nine peaks.
- Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains
- UNESCO Global Geopark · 2019
- National scenic area · 1982
Key facts
- Bodhisattva
- Ksitigarbha (地藏, Dìzàng)
- Traditional count of peaks
- 99
- UNESCO Global Geopark
- 2019[2]
- Province
- Anhui (Chizhou)
Overview
Jiuhua is the youngest of the Four Sacred Mountains as a Buddhist centre and the most monastic in feel: the village of Jiuhua Street, halfway up the mountain, is a town of temples, where monks and nuns outnumber shops in places. The mountain is devoted to Ksitigarbha, the bodhisattva who vowed not to attain Buddhahood until the hells are emptied, and it draws pilgrims especially for rites for the dead.
The mountain was once called Jiuzi Shan, the Nine Sons Mountain. Li Bai, visiting in the eighth century, compared its peaks to nine lotus flowers and renamed it Jiuhua, the Nine Flowers.
How the landscape formed
The Jiuhua massif is a Cretaceous granite intrusion, lifted and weathered into steep, rounded peaks, rock towers and boulder fields — traditionally counted as ninety-nine peaks. The highest, Shiwang Feng, rises to over 1,300 metres. Streams have cut deep valleys on all sides, and the humid subtropical climate keeps the slopes forested and often in cloud. The mountain's granite landscape is the basis of its geopark status.
Highlights
Jiuhua Street
九华街
The temple village in a high basin at the centre of the mountain, with the main monasteries around it.
Tiantai Peak
天台峰
The pilgrims' summit, with a temple on a granite crag and views across the range.
Shiwang Peak
十王峰
The highest point of the range, named after the Ten Kings of the underworld.
Hundred-Year Palace
百岁宫
A temple built into the cliff edge, enshrining the preserved body of the Ming monk Wuxia.
Plants and wildlife
The mountain carries subtropical evergreen and mixed forest, with bamboo on the lower slopes and old trees protected around the temples. It is known for its ancient pines and for tea grown on the monastic terraces.
Plants
Phoenix Pine
凤凰松
An ancient pine near the Minyuan area whose spreading branches resemble a phoenix.
Jiuhua Buddha tea
九华佛茶
Green tea associated by tradition with Kim Gyo-gak, who is said to have brought tea seeds from Korea.
Wildlife
Tibetan macaque
短尾猴
Troops live in the forested valleys of the range.
Culture and legend
Kim Gyo-gak, a prince of the Korean kingdom of Silla, came to Jiuhua in the early eighth century and lived for decades as an ascetic. When he died in 794, reputedly at the age of ninety-nine, his body is said not to have decayed after three years, and he was recognised as an incarnation of Ksitigarbha. From then on the mountain was Dizang's. A distinctive feature of Jiuhua is the veneration of the preserved bodies of monks, “flesh-body bodhisattvas”, several of which are enshrined in its temples. The main festival falls on the thirtieth day of the seventh lunar month, Dizang's day.
Huacheng Temple
化城寺
The founding monastery of the mountain, granted its name by the Tang court in the late eighth century.
Hall of the Flesh Body
肉身宝殿
The hall on Shenguang Ridge built over the stupa of Kim Gyo-gak, the most sacred place on the mountain.
Qiyuan Temple
祇园寺
One of the largest monasteries on the mountain, at the entrance to Jiuhua Street.
History
c. 719
Kim Gyo-gak arrives from Silla
The Korean monk's long residence founds Jiuhua's Buddhist tradition.
750s
Li Bai renames the mountain
Jiuzi Shan becomes Jiuhua Shan, the Nine Flowers Mountain.
794
Death of Kim Gyo-gak
He is venerated as the incarnation of Ksitigarbha and the mountain becomes Dizang's bodhimanda.
Ming and Qing dynasties
Height of temple building
Imperial patronage raises Jiuhua to one of the Four Sacred Mountains.
1982
National scenic area
Listed among the first national key scenic areas.
2019
UNESCO Global Geopark
Recognised for its granite landscape.
Through the seasons
Spring
Tea picking on the terraces and flowering azaleas; mist and drizzle are common.
Summer
Warm and humid, but the upper mountain is cooler; the Dizang festival in late summer or early autumn draws the largest crowds.
Autumn
Clear, settled weather and autumn colour, the best time for the walk to Tiantai.
Winter
Cold with occasional snow; the temples are quiet and the New Year brings local pilgrims.
Routes and ways in
Jiuhua Street temples
An easy walk around the temple village, from Qiyuan Temple and Huacheng Temple up the stairway to the Hall of the Flesh Body.
Pilgrim climb to Tiantai
From Jiuhua Street via Minyuan and the Phoenix Pine to Tiantai Peak on stone steps; a cableway serves part of the route.
Hundred-Year Palace
A short, steep climb or a funicular from Jiuhua Street to the cliff-top temple.
Practical notes
- The mountain lies in Qingyang county, Chizhou; Chizhou and Anqing across the Yangtze are the nearest cities.
- It is an active religious centre: dress modestly, keep voices low in the halls, and ask before photographing monks, nuns or rituals.
- Paths between the temples are stone steps; the climb to Tiantai is long and steep.
Cities to start from
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- Chizhou Municipal People's Government — Chizhou Municipal People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Jiuhuashan UNESCO Global Geopark — UNESCO (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Anhui Provincial People's Government — Anhui Provincial People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
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