The Second Holy Temple of Jiuhua Mountain

The Ersheng Temple is located at the northern foot of Jiuhua Mountain in Anhui Province (now in Ersheng Village, Jiuhua Township, Qingyang County). In ancient times, it was a climbing tunnel from the north. It is a key temple in Anhui Province.

The Second Holy Temple is a Ming Dynasty residential-style building in the south of the Yangtze River, facing east from the west. The gate of the palace faces the ancient road up the mountain and the highway from Wuxi to Jiuhua Street. Longtan River comes from the southeast and passes around the temple, with an elegant environment. The current abbot, monk Jueyi. In the past, some good men and women went to Jiuhua Mountain to worship, burn incense in the temple, and kowtow to the Bodhisattva. The Second Temple is the starting point for their worship.

The Second Holy Temple has three bays, 11 meters high, 13 meters long and 9 meters wide, with a construction area of ??117 square meters. The two sacred statues inside were remodeled in 1989. They wear black gauze on their heads, court clothes, jade belts around their waists, and powder-soled court boots. He is 2 meters tall, with a plump face, three black beards reaching chest level, and piercing eyes. The second and third entrances behind the main hall are two-story dormitories with four water-dropped patios in the middle. In the second place, there is a statue of Guanyin downstairs and a statue of Ksitigarbha above. Behind the dormitory is the Zhaitang. The total construction area of ??the temple is 744 square meters. The Second Holy Temple was built in the Tang Dynasty. According to Volume 1 of "Qingyang County Chronicles" written by Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty: Ersheng Temple was originally named "Ersheng Temple", also known as "Jiuhua Temple". "It is said that during the Tang Dynasty, Jin Jiuzang (namely Jin Qiaojue) of the Silla Kingdom flew to Xixi and was stationed in Jiuhua. The two ministers Zhaoyou and Zhaopu failed to return to the country, so they built a house and practiced here. Later, they erected temple statues and restored their old sites." "Jiuhua Mountain Chronicles" in the 27th year of the Republic of China records: "The two saints are said to be the second uncle of Jin Ji Zang. He came here from the Silla Kingdom in search of Jin Ji Zang."

The Second Holy Temple was rebuilt in the Ming Dynasty and has always been the main temple. A place of worship and prayer for the villagers. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, bhikshuni became famous and had the opportunity to repair and restore the old system. From 1912 to 1932, bhikshuni Ci De and Miao Xiang served as abbots successively and raised funds to build Zhongxing. From 1936 to 1942, the abbots were monks Wuyue and Langran. In 1948, the abbot, Monk Fahua, became the abbot. On December 30, 1984, the Anhui Provincial People's Government designated it as a provincial key temple (including 30 temples including Longchi Temple). In 1985, the Jiuhuashan Management Office renovated the main hall. From 1988 to 1999, abbot Seng Jueru carried out comprehensive maintenance. Now the abbot has achieved fruition.

The "Two Saints" enshrined in the temple wear black gauze on their heads, court clothes, jade belts around their waists, and powder-soled court boots. He is seven feet tall, has a plump face, a chest-length black beard, and two bright eyes. The two golden statues resemble twin brothers. The so-called "two saints" here are actually just two uncles of Jin Qiaojue. He is neither the two sages commonly known as Duke of Zhou and Confucius as Confucianists call him, nor the two sages of the mythical figures "Hehe and Hehe Immortals" in folklore. There is a legend here. Jin Qiaojue was a royal noble of the Silla Kingdom, and his uncle naturally also belonged to a famous family, but his name is unknown. Jin Qiaojue practiced hard in the mountains of Jiuhua and founded a Buddhist temple. After he became famous, monks from Silla Kingdom came one after another to worship him as their teacher, and his number of disciples increased rapidly. But life in the mountains was very difficult. Jin Qiaojue once made a living by cooking rice mixed with white soil. Gaotang's mother was heartbroken and asked her two uncles to trek to the mountain to visit. The two uncles were influenced by their nephew Jin Qiaojue and stayed in Jiuhua Mountain.

Later, they were driven down the mountain by Jin Qiaojue because they violated the five precepts of "no killing, no stealing, no sexual immorality, no lying, and no drinking". In order to commemorate Jin Qiaojue's two uncles' trip to Jiuhua Mountain, later generations built a temple at the foot of the mountain to offer sacrifices to them, offering meat and vegetables. In the past, there was a kind of "Two Saints Meeting" gathering spread in some places in southern Anhui. That is, on the 30th day of the seventh lunar month, a "Ksitigarbha meeting" is held, in which incense is burned, sutras are chanted, and participants pay to host a vegetarian dinner. The next day, the first day of the eighth lunar month, the "Two Saints Meeting" was held to honor Jin Qiaojue's two uncles. The banquet included meat and wine. Participants also burned incense and worshiped, and the dinner was full of wine and meat. This is in line with the Buddhist customs. "Bon Lan Hui", "Guanyin Hui" and other very different scenery. Transportation

It is very convenient to travel to Jiuhua Mountain. There are tourist buses plying between Shanghai, Hangzhou, Hefei, Nanjing, Wuhu, Tongling, Jiuhua Mountain and Guichi, which satisfy tourists.

Railway: The nearest train station to Jiuhua Mountain is Tongling Station, which is 92 kilometers away from Jiuhua Street and takes about 2 hours’ drive. Tongling has trains departing for Shanghai, Nanjing and Hangzhou. From Shanghai to Jiuhuashan, you can take the T702 special-class train, which departs at 7:00, passes through Nanjing at 9:57, and arrives in Tongling at 13:15

Water transport: Jiuhuashan is 53 kilometers away from Chizhou Port on the Yangtze River route. Tongling Port is 92 kilometers away. Visitors from Shanghai and Nanjing can disembark at Tongling Port, and visitors from Chongqing, Wuhan, and Jiujiang can disembark at Chizhou Port.

Bus: From Chizhou to Jiuhuashan, there is a direct shuttle bus during the peak season (July and August). In normal times, you can take the shuttle bus to Qingyang and get off at Wuxi (32 kilometers journey, ticket price 6 yuan, 1 hour), transfer to the minibus here to go up the mountain (22 kilometers of Panshan Road, fare is 4 yuan)

Bus: There is one bus every hour between Tongling, Guichi and Jiuhuashan open. Within the Jiuhua Mountain Scenic Area, there are also tourist shuttle buses running from Jiuhua Street to Min Garden. There are human-powered sedans to pick you up and drop off each tour route.

Specialty Food

The food in Jiuhua Mountain is mainly vegetarian. Jiuhua vegetarian dishes have long been famous. Among them, the most famous ones are Shifu, bamboo shoots, Tai Er and other good vegetarian foods from Jiuhua Mountain. In addition to the offerings at Jiuhuashan Vegetarian Restaurant, the most distinctive one is the "Foxiangzhai Vegetarian Restaurant".

The famous dishes here include "Jiuhua Three Ears" (fungus, stone fungus, white fungus), "Tiantai Double Winter", "Braised Stone Chicken", "Steamed Turtle", "Grilled Rabbit on Skewers", "Fried Pheasant", " Steamed Mountain Phoenix", "Foshan Ice Hockey", etc. These vegetarian dishes are mainly made of beans and other vegetables as raw materials, and are supplemented by natural wild plants such as pine nuts, walnuts, rock fungus, polygonatum, lily, bamboo shoots, ginkgo, etc. Ershengsheng Specialty Shopping Jiuhua Yunwu Tea, Polygonatum japonica, Tianzhu chopsticks, paper fans, etc. Jiuhua vegetarian food made with mountain bamboo shoots, mushrooms and wild vegetables is very popular among tourists.