# Emeishan

Emei is a city in Sichuan.

## Get in
#### By bus

From Leshan Bus Station the bus ride should cost ¥8, or there is bus 601 for ¥5. The journey takes around an hour.
From Chengdu there are frequent bus from Xinnanmen Bus Station for ¥34 (as of Mar 2018).

#### By train

* 29.587163103.5196761 Emei Railway Station (峨眉站, Emei Station), Nanchen Street, Shengli Town (胜利镇南陈街) (in the southeastern part of the city's main urban area). Serves regular-speed trains. A regular-speed train from Chengdu Railway Station or Chengdu South Railway Station takes around two to three hours. (updated Apr 2019)
* 29.578819103.4643052 Emeishan Railway Station (峨眉山站, Emeishan Station), Xiuhu Avenue (秀湖大道) (about half-way between the city's main urban area and the entrance to Emeishan National Park). Serves high-speed trains. If you arrived in Chengdu Shuangli Airport, you can take a high speed rail directly to Emeishan Railway Station ¥56, or ¥66 from Chengdu West / South Railway Station (as of Mar 2019). The train should be departing every two hours, and the journey takes around an hour. (updated Apr 2019)

## Get around

Buses are convenient. From the long distance bus station, catch bus 1 and then bus 5 to get to Baoguo and vice versa.

## See

* 29.591873103.4899341 Dafo Monastery (大佛禅院, Great Buddha Monastery), 274 Foguang Road South (佛光南路274号) (bus routes 601 and Emei 8 both stop outside the main entrance), ☏ +86 833 5565047. 08:30-17:30. According to some sources, this monastery, which covers an area of around 400 mu (about 27 hectares), is the largest Buddhist monastery in China. It was built during the Ming Dynasty at a site in the city's eastern suburbs. It was best known for a 12-metre-high bronze statue of Avalokiteśvara that is said to have had a thousand hands and a thousand eyes. During the Great Leap Forward campaign (1958-1962), the statue was melted down and the original buildings were destroyed. This new version of the monastery, which opened in 2008, is in the city's south. Free. (updated Apr 2019)

## Do

* 29.519722103.33251 Emeishan National Park

## Buy

Sweet skin duck. Sweet skin duck is improved from spiced duck, so it is also called sweet skin spiced duck. Sweet skin duck followed the Qing Dynasty imperial food process. Excavated and improved by the folk, its brine has unique characteristics, with brown and red color, crispy and slightly sweet skin, pleasant aroma, or crisp and sweet, or thick, attached to the tender meat, taste is not inferior to Beijing roast duck. (updated Oct 2024)
Rice candy. Rice candy is a famous traditional snack, the snack is sweet and delicious, with rice fragrance, rice candy is mainly made of glutinous rice and white sugar. (updated Oct 2024)
Leaf rice cake. Leaf rice cake is a traditional snack in Sichuan. Traditional food for Qingming Festival in western Sichuan and Spring Festival in southern Sichuan. Yerba has different names and characteristics in different regions. (updated Oct 2024)
Emei Snow Bud. Emei Snow Bud, known in the Tang Dynasty as "Emei White Bud" and "Emei Snow Tea," and later referred to as "Snow Fragrance" or "Qingming Fragrance" during the Song and Ming dynasties, has been regarded as a distinguished gem among famous Emei teas since ancient times. As early as the 7th century, it held a prominent position among China’s top ten teas, documented in ancient texts like the Classic of Tea by Lu Yu, the Sage of Tea, and Tang Guo Shi Bu by Li Zhao. Emei Snow Bud is primarily produced in the Emei Mountain region, at altitudes of 800–1200 meters, particularly around Chicheng Peak, Baiyan Peak, Yunu Peak, Tianchi Peak, Jingyue Peak, and the area near Wannian Temple, where clouds and mist shroud the peaks year-round. Even before the winter cold fully retreats, new buds break through the snow, bathed in the soft hues of dawn and dusk, resembling the gentle closing of wise eyes. Although these are but small buds and leaves, they possess a unique, serene charm when observed closely. After the first spring rain, monks harvest the tea mindfully, chanting Amitabha as they pick. Only the tips of the thumb and forefinger are used to gently pluck the buds; otherwise, the buds wilt and lose their vibrant color and flavor. The tea picked by young nuns is particularly prized: their compassionate hearts and tranquil, skillful hands bring a spiritual quality to the craft, akin to the delicate stitching of floral patterns. With slender, graceful hands, pure hearts, and reverent prayers, they pick tea offerings for the Buddha—this devotion is unmatched by any other tea-growing region. Li Shan, an early Tang Dynasty scholar, noted in his Annotations on the Selections of Zhaoming: “Mount Emei produces exceptional tea, unlike any other under heaven.” After the famous Tang monk-poet Jia Dao savored Emei Snow Bud, he praised it in his poem Sending Off Zhu Xiu as He Returns to Jian’nan, calling it “the new bud that emerges as snow tea.” (updated Nov 2024)

## Eat

* Emei orange. Emei orange has a long history of cultivation. Ancient people used it as a perfume substitute because of its aromatic smell in the peel. Fruit oblate or similar pear shape, single fruit weight 100-170 grams, thick skin orange yellow, rough skin, neat meat, sour taste and strong, is a kind of nutritious fruit. (updated Oct 2022)
* Emei bamboo shoots. Emei bamboo shoot is a famous specialty of Mount Emei. There are many varieties of it, such as fresh bamboo shoots, salted bamboo shoots and so on. The Emei bitter bamboo shoots are very big, loved by consumers, and have been sold in Chengdu and other places. (updated Oct 2022)
* Niuhua Small Bamboo Skewer Malatang, Nos. 1, 3, and 5, Baoning 2nd Street, South Section of Mingshan Road (600 meters downhill from the Tianxia Mingshan Archway, and 50 meters downhill from the East Gate of Southwest Jiaotong University). Year-round: 11:00-00:00. "Chuan Chuan Xiang" is another form of hot pot, similar to malatang, so people often refer to it as "mini hot pot." It began with a simple broth and ingredients, but now almost anything can be cooked in it. It is said that in ancient times, in the misty, humid region of Sichuan, boatmen and trackers, after a day’s labor, would build makeshift stoves, set up clay pots, and make do with local ingredients. They would gather wild greens and add spices like Sichuan peppercorns and chili peppers to create a flavorful broth for dipping. This practice not only filled their stomachs but also helped to ward off the cold and dampness. This was the original prototype of Chuan Chuan Xiang. Over time, this custom of cooking foods in a hot broth was passed down, eventually evolving into today’s popular street food known as Chuan Chuan Xiang, found throughout many city streets and alleyways. Average cost per person: ¥73. (updated Nov 2024)
* Er Mao Ice Jelly, Dongxin Road Old Haochi Street. All year 10:00-23:30. Ice jelly, also known as liangfen in some regions, is a famous snack that originated in the Yunnan and Guizhou areas. It later spread to Pengshan (Wuyang) in Sichuan and has become quite popular in Chengdu, particularly as a summer treat. It is known for being cool, fragrant, sweet, smooth, and refreshing, providing relief from heat, thirst, and fire. As a summer delicacy, it is loved by many for its smooth texture, transparency, icy refreshment, delicious taste, affordability, and ability to cool the body. The main ingredient comes from the "ice jelly tree," scientifically known as Physalis, also called pearl lotus or ice jelly tree. It is native to Peru, with the main distribution in China being in Yunnan, Guangxi, and other regions; it is also cultivated in Guizhou, Hunan, and Sichuan. The delicious snack of ice jelly originated from this plant. Per person: ¥18. (updated Nov 2024)

## Drink

* Emei Snow (éméi xuě) - Popular local soft drink.
* Emei Maofeng. Emei Maofeng, originally named Fengming Maofeng, has been renamed to Emei Maofeng. It is a newly created famous tea from the Mengshan region. The finished tea leaves are tightly curled, tender, and glossy, with silver tips that are elegant and prominent. It has a fresh, clean aroma, a strong and refreshing taste, with a slightly yellowish and greenish tea liquor, and the leaves are tender, green, and evenly distributed. This tea is sold in major cities like Beijing and Tianjin and is exported to countries and regions such as Japan and Hong Kong. (updated Nov 2024)

## Sleep

* Mount Emei Gaoqiao Li Hengbang Hantian Resort Hotel, No. 277, Hongyan Road, Gaoqiao Town, Mount Emei, Buildings 5 and 6, ☏ +86-833-5589666. Check-in: After 16:00, check-out: Before 12:00. The hotel is under the Golden Summit of Mount Emei, a UNESCO World Heritage site that is both a cultural and natural treasure. The hotel is nestled amidst the mountains, surrounded by lakes, and partially hidden in the mist, where the sounds of birds chirping and flowing streams create a serene atmosphere. It offers a tranquil environment. The resort spans about 2388 acres and follows a natural, health-oriented living philosophy, using eco-friendly materials that exceed industry standards. The rooms feature luxury bedding from top global hotel brands, high-speed Wi-Fi, and expansive balconies that offer stunning mountain and water views. Twin room from ¥1027. (updated Nov 2024)

## Connect

Mount Emei Tourist passenger transport Center

## Go next

* Chengdu
* Kunming
* Leshan - Relaxed city and home to Leshan Grand Buddha, amongst other things.