Golden Peak (Wudangshan)

The Golden Summit, Jinding in Chinese, is the highest accessible point of Mount Emei and the spiritual climax of any visit to this UNESCO World Heritage site. At roughly 3,079 meters above sea level, it sits above the cloud line and combines spectacular scenery with the most important concentration of Buddhist architecture on the mountain. For most travelers — pilgrims and tourists alike — reaching the summit is the central goal of a Mount Emei trip.

The dominant feature is the 48-meter gilded bronze statue of Samantabhadra (Puxian), the bodhisattva to whom Mount Emei is sacred. The statue is unusual in presenting the bodhisattva with four faces arranged around a central axis, an iconographic form designed specifically for this site and regarded as one of the tallest gilded Buddhist images in the world. It is the most photographed single object on the mountain and the devotional focal point for thousands of Chinese Buddhist pilgrims each year.

Around the statue spreads a complex of halls and terraces. The Huayan Temple, immediately behind the image, includes three main halls; the third, the Puxian Hall, is commonly called the Golden Hall or simply Jinding, and gives the summit its name. Plaques at the gate carry inscriptions such as Golden Summit, Endless Vows, and Splendid Huayan, and a bronze image of Samantabhadra riding his six-tusked elephant stands inside. The detailing rewards slow looking, especially on a clear morning when the gilding catches the early light.

The summit is most famous for its sunrise above the sea of clouds, a phenomenon created when moist basin air pools below the peak and is lit from the east at first light. Many travelers overnight near the summit specifically to experience it, and there is no real substitute for being there at dawn. Tibetan macaques are common along the approach paths and should be treated with caution, as they are bold and can be aggressive around food.

For any traveler to Sichuan, the Golden Summit is the high point — literally and figuratively — of a Mount Emei visit, and one of the most concentrated blends of Buddhist art, alpine scenery, and World Heritage atmosphere in southwest China.