World Cultural and Natural Heritage - E'mei Mountain

As one of world cultural and natural heritage, E'mei Mountain is one of the four holy mountains of Buddhism in China. It is also designated as state-level scenery region, state-level nature reserve, human and ecosphere protection network, scenery region at 4A class, province-level key scenic area and so on. E'mei Mountain is a tourist attraction absorbing visitors from both home and abroad. It is famous for the characters of grandness, elegance, wonder and fantasticality with the reputation ofBeauty Under Heaven. In the scenery region, jebels are lofty and majestic, ranges stand layer upon layer, valleys and gullies are deep and dark, green trees are dense and flourishing, clouds and mists are wreathing. Every range has its own distinctive scenery, and there is difference in weather within 5 km.
    E’Mei Mountain lies in E'meishan City of southwest Sichuan Basin. It is winding asa cicada-like insect starts from E'mei, and looks slim and beautiful, and its name is based on it. The mountain stretches 23 km from south to north with an area about 115 km2. Hillsides are always gentle in the west and steep in the east. The eastern slopes are converse with some fault cliffs, and they are rugged and steep. Its main peak, Wanfo Top, is 3,099 m above sea level, and it is 2,600 m higher comparing with E'mei Plain on its eastern piedmont. There are many kinds of plants and animals in E'mei Mountain, and more than 3,000 kinds of superior plants and over 2,000 kinds of animals are existed up to now. Most of them are rare species. Some animals like butterfly like a withered leaf, phoenix butterfly, and the frog sound like playing piano, tree frog and big earthworm are animals only can be found in E'mei Mountain. Moreover, giant panda, Tibetan macaque and other 29 species are major animals under state protection. As to plants, Gong Tung and Gingko is the living fossil of tertiary. 107 categories plants are unique of E'mei Mountain, and more than 30 varieties are major plants under state protection. E’Mei Mountain can be considered as a huge natural arboretum and the kingdom of wild animals.
    E’Mei Mountain has a humid sub-tropical monsoonal climate, with much cloud and mist in the whole mountain region, plentiful rainfall and less sunshine. The climate feature of it isfour seasons occur in the mountain and difference weather within 10 Chines mile. The natural views in the region are gorgeous and colorful, and it seems that clouds are always floating and mountain is moving unpredictable and majestic. Thus form the top ten sceneries assunny Luo Peak with clouds,Shengji curfew,surd beside two bridges,dawn rain on Hongchun Platform,gentle wind over white river,the cave of nine immortals,midnight above Elephant-washing Pool,crags stand layer upon layer,snow on bag platform, and Sacred lights at the Golden Summit. There are also four natural wonders like theBuddhist lights, the sea of clouds, the sunrise, andSacred lamps. Moreover, the scenic sights of it include Baoguo Monastery, Fuhu Monastery, Wannian Monastery, Qingtin Pavilion, Xianfengsi Monastery, the Elephant-washing Pool, Hongchun Platform and Monastery on the Golden Summit, etc.
    It is not a wonder to climb up a mountain and experience the sunrise as visitors can view it everywhere. However, experiencing the process of sunrise on the top of E'mei Mountain has its distinctive feature. As it is 3,000 m above the sea level standing at the edge of western Sichuan Basin, visitors can stand on a higher watching place to have a wide field of vision, and look down toTianfu Plain extending over thousands of meters. Comparing with viewing a red sun rising up from the horizon with East Sea billows sound, the rising run viewing from E'mei is held out by clouds stealthily. Rains always fall at night and stop at dawn. Glittering beads in fog and dew show luxuriant color phases in the sunlight incisively and vividly.

Experiencing the process of sunrise on the top of E'mei Mountain can widen people's field of vision, wash away annoyances, inspire enthusiasm and experience close relationship between human beings and nature. As a poet of Northern Song-Su Dongpo intonedgentle wind has the same purpose with clouds and fog, will make grass and trees more beautiful. Fan Chengda, a poet of Southern Song had written like this:clouds and the mountain create a dream world for people; I experience the imaginary space with the sun, the moon. In addition, poet Yang Shengyan of Ming Dynasty expressed his emotion thatfirst sun rays in the morning breaks in from window and lights the whole Shu, fog wreathes around trees and blocks off sheepherders and woodchoppers. These poets with a famous name forever intoned their frank and true feelings after they viewed the sunrise on the top of E'mei Mountain. Some said that the rising sun gave its warm to the mountain, river, grass and trees; some said that the sunlight emblazes Shu; and the other said he wandered the illimitable outer space leading by the sun, the moon. These sentences expressed the poets' emotion of sincereness and lofty sentiments