By Nicola Hughs (Shanghai Star)

Mount Jiuhua is located in Qingyang County of Anhui Province. Shiwang Mountain, the main peak, reaches 1,342 metres above sea level.

Mount Jiuhua is home to waterfalls, streams, exotic-looking boulders, ancient caves, old pines and exuberant growths of bamboo.

Photo Source: Shanghai Star

Within the richly variegated landscape,there are ancient temples tucked away amid the dense woods and the air reverberates with the tolling of the bells at dawn and dusk. With 99 peaks, 16 ridges, 14 overhanging cliffs, 18 gurgling springs, many caves, deep pools, rare stones and waterfalls, the mountain has attracted numerous men of letters to dwell there.

Mount Jiuhua was originally known as Jiuzi (Nine-Peak) Mountain. But the mountain has been renamed Mount Jiuhua ever since Li Bai, the celebrated poet in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) wrote:

Sailing down the Jiujiang River the other day, I saw the Jiuhua Peaks in the distance.

Looking like a heavenly river hanging in heaven, its green water embroidering cotton-rose hibiscuses.

Photo Source: Shanghai Star

The mountain is also famous for the grand scale of its temples and nunneries,which are unique in style and magnificent in architecture. Third-century Taoist monks built thatched temples on Mount Jiuhua, but with the rise of Buddhism, stone monasteries gradually replaced them.

Mount Jiuhua owes its importance to Kim Kiao Kak (Jin Qiaojue), a Korean Buddhist disciple who arrived in China in AD 720 and founded a place of worship for Ksitigarbha, the guardian of the earth. Pilgrims flock to Mount Jiuhua for the annual festivities held on the anniversary of Kim's death, which falls on the 30th day of the seventh lunar month.

In its heyday, during the Tang dynasty, as many as 3,000 monks and nuns, living in more than 150 monasteries, worshipped at Mount Jiuhua. Today, only 70 temples and monasteries remain, but a palpable feeling of spirituality still permeates the place and believers come to bless the souls of the recently deceased and assist their passage to the Buddhist heaven.

On Mount Jiuhua you pass old women bowing after they take several steps and singing as they gracefully ascend the mountain side. There are several spots where the women gather to pray and sing. The sounds of these songs along with the gushing wind and swaying bamboo lifts the soul and lightens your feet.Indeed, the spiritual beauty of Mount Jiuhua is matched only by its natural beauty.

There are two main routes to take up the mountain from Jiuhua village where accommodation is situated. There is a north easterly trail towards the highest peak that can be ascended by cable car. In this area there are three temples and dozens of scenic sights. The descent is hard on your knees and the steps are very narrow and of varying depths.

Once you get to the bottom, however, there is a quaint village with a newly built nature park. A rest from the climb and a picnic in the park makes for a perfect end to a day of sightseeing. Washing your hands in the steam in the park is supposed to bring you good luck.

There is also another picturesque trail north of the village that swings westerly. There are no cable cars and the walk can be rough. I was informed that it was very dangerous due to the many snakes and Pilgrimage to Mount Jiuhuawild animals in the area. This trail is not recommended for foreigners.

Regardless, you can still spend a good weekend in Jiuhua. The village itself has four temples surrounded by small shops and eateries. It has a quaint village atmosphere and makes for an agreeable stroll.

Like everywhere in China, there is a lot of development and planning in the area.As you swing through hair-pin bends going up the mountain you will pass trucks carrying building material. There are billboards displaying what Jiuhua will look like in the not-too-distant future.

But I prefer the Jiuhua of the present. Although the new building will make Jiuhua easier to access and more tourist friendly, it will take away some of the sense of adventure that Jiuhua offers. The face of Jiuhua is changing. I hope its soul will remain the same.