A Holy Land of Buddhism:Mount Wutai
By admin on 2015-01-12

Brief Introduction
Mount Wutai (wǔ tái shān 五台山) is one of the Four Sacred Mountains in Chinese Buddhism. It lies in Xinzhou Region, Shanxi Province. Mount Wutai is the only one mountain in China mentioned by Buddhist scriptures, and appeared in many Buddhist books as well. Apart from the aspect of religion, Mount Wutai is also a notable and attractive tourist resort. There are more than 600 kinds of plants; over 150 of them can be used as rare herbs. The splendour of the mountains, exotic rocks, clear waters and green forests make Mount Wutai become one of the popular travel destinations in China. In 2009, Mount Wutai became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

History
According to a holy Buddhist text, "Manjusri (wén shū 文殊) resides on a clear, cold mountain in the northeast," identified Mount Wutai. The legend said that Manjusri stayed on the mountain and frequently manifested himself as ordinary pilgrims, monks, or even unusual five-colored clouds. A large amount number of Buddhist monasteries were built on the mountain from the 1st century AD to the early 20th century. From Northern Wei (běi wèi 北魏) and Tang (táng 唐) Dynasties, Mount Wutai became a significant Buddhist center. Buddhism achieved zenith in China during this period; as a result, Mount Wutai built hundreds of temples and shrines with more than two thousand monks. To some extent, Mount Wutai witnessed the development of Buddhism in China. It is not only the home of Manjusri, but also related with Tibetan Buddhism (zàng chuán fó jiào 藏传佛教). During Ming (míng 明) and Qing (qīng 清) Dynasties, the construction of temples on the mountain emphasised on Tibetan, or Lama. The founder of the Tibetan Yellow Hat Sect (xī zàng huáng jiào 西藏黄教) went to Mount Wutai to preach in the 15 century. It is said that Shunzhi Emperor (shùn zhì huáng dì 顺治皇帝) of Qing Dynasty became a monk in Mount Wutai. Over all, the buildings on the Mount Wutai display a catalogue of the way Buddhist culture and architecture developed, and had huge influence on palace building in China. Based on the ancient Chinese philosophy, Mount Wutai reflects the harmony between people, religion and nature