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Scenes from a sacred Buddhist village
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Scenes from a sacred Buddhist village
Scenes from a sacred Buddhist village
![Jiuhua Shan, or the Nine Magnificent Mountains, is the southernmost peak of China's four Buddhist holy mountains, nestled in southern Anhui Province. It is not only a popular destination for Buddhist pilgrims and summer tourists, but also home to hundreds of monks and villagers.[by Johanna Yueh/China.org.cn]](http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20110307/000cf1a48f870edebf0c1a.jpg "Jiuhua Shan, or the Nine Magnificent Mountains, is the southernmost peak of China's four Buddhist holy mountains, nestled in southern Anhui Province. It is not only a popular destination for Buddhist pilgrims and summer tourists, but also home to hundreds of monks and villagers.[by Johanna Yueh/China.org.cn]")
![The central square of Jiuhua village, near the top of the Eastern Precipice. On the far left is Huacheng Temple, the oldest temple on the mountain dating back 1,500 years. [by Johanna Yueh/China.org.cn]](http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20110307/000cf1a48f870edebf0e1d.jpg "The central square of Jiuhua village, near the top of the Eastern Precipice. On the far left is Huacheng Temple, the oldest temple on the mountain dating back 1,500 years. [by Johanna Yueh/China.org.cn]")
![Buddhist temples exist alongside people's homes and shops. Here, one resident has hung clothes to dry outside the entrance to Huacheng Temple. [by Johanna Yueh/China.org.cn]](http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20110307/000cf1a48f870edebf1121.jpg "Buddhist temples exist alongside people's homes and shops. Here, one resident has hung clothes to dry outside the entrance to Huacheng Temple. [by Johanna Yueh/China.org.cn]")
![A villager washes clothes in a pond. [by Johanna Yueh/China.org.cn]](http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20110307/000cf1a48f870edebf1426.jpg "A villager washes clothes in a pond. [by Johanna Yueh/China.org.cn]")
![Birds for sale in the village. They can speak Chinese, such as 'gong xi fa cai,' a New Year's greeting that means 'congratulations and may you be prosperous.' [by Johanna Yueh/China.org.cn]](http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20110307/000cf1a48f870edebf172c.jpg "Birds for sale in the village. They can speak Chinese, such as 'gong xi fa cai,' a New Year's greeting that means 'congratulations and may you be prosperous.' [by Johanna Yueh/China.org.cn]")
![Dizang Chan Temple in Jiu Hua village, which houses the mummified body of an 85-year-old monk in a glass case. Scattered around the temples of Jiu Hua Mountain are the bodies of monks covered in gold after a special mummification process. [by Johanna Yueh/China.org.cn]](http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20110307/000cf1a48f870edebf1a33.jpg "Dizang Chan Temple in Jiu Hua village, which houses the mummified body of an 85-year-old monk in a glass case. Scattered around the temples of Jiu Hua Mountain are the bodies of monks covered in gold after a special mummification process. [by Johanna Yueh/China.org.cn]")
![The popularity of incense offerings fills many of Jiuhua Mountain's temples with smoke. [by Johanna Yueh/China.org.cn]](http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20110307/000cf1a48f870edebf1e3b.jpg "The popularity of incense offerings fills many of Jiuhua Mountain's temples with smoke. [by Johanna Yueh/China.org.cn]")
![A monk studies outside a temple. [by Johanna Yueh/China.org.cn]](http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20110307/000cf1a48f870edebf2144.jpg "A monk studies outside a temple. [by Johanna Yueh/China.org.cn]")
![Monkeys roam freely near the top of the Eastern Precipice. [by Johanna Yueh/China.org.cn]](http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20110307/000cf1a48f870edebf244e.jpg "Monkeys roam freely near the top of the Eastern Precipice. [by Johanna Yueh/China.org.cn]")
![Padlocks line the rails on the way to Bai Sui Gong, affixed by couples who wanted to 'lock' their love to each other. Bai Sui Gong (the Hundred-Years Palace), which sits atop the Eastern Precipice, is dedicated to a monk who died at the age of 126. His mummified body is kept in a glass case inside the temple. [by Johanna Yueh/China.org.cn]](http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20110307/000cf1a48f870edebf2859.jpg "Padlocks line the rails on the way to Bai Sui Gong, affixed by couples who wanted to 'lock' their love to each other. Bai Sui Gong (the Hundred-Years Palace), which sits atop the Eastern Precipice, is dedicated to a monk who died at the age of 126. His mummified body is kept in a glass case inside the temple. [by Johanna Yueh/China.org.cn]")
![Budai, the Laughing Buddha, outside Dizang Temple. [by Johanna Yueh/China.org.cn]](http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20110307/000cf1a48f870edebf2a01.jpg "Budai, the Laughing Buddha, outside Dizang Temple. [by Johanna Yueh/China.org.cn]")
![The Korean-influenced decor of Dizang Chan Temple is a tribute to a Korean prince Kim Kiao Kak who came to Jiuhua Mountain and meditated for 75 years. According to Buddhist legend, when he died at 99, his body remained intact and looked much like the Bodhisattva Kshitigarbha (Dizang), so he is thought to be the reincarnation of Dizang. [by Johanna Yueh/China.org.cn]](http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20110315/000cf1a48f870ee8fb6826.jpg "The Korean-influenced decor of Dizang Chan Temple is a tribute to a Korean prince Kim Kiao Kak who came to Jiuhua Mountain and meditated for 75 years. According to Buddhist legend, when he died at 99, his body remained intact and looked much like the Bodhisattva Kshitigarbha (Dizang), so he is thought to be the reincarnation of Dizang. [by Johanna Yueh/China.org.cn]")
