{{short description|Buddhist mountain in Sichuan, China}} {{Redirect|Omei Shan|the bird|Grey-faced liocichla}} {{redirect|Emei|the musician|Emei (musician)}} {{for|the county-level city and former county named after the mountain|Emeishan City}} {{Infobox mountain | name = Mount Emei | other_name = ''Emei Shan'' | image = 峨眉山风景区 Mount Emei Scenic Area 07.jpg | image_size = 290 | image_caption = Summit of Mount Emei | elevation_m = 3099 | elevation_ref=<ref name=otm>{{cite opentopomap|Emei|29.51013|103.33225|2023-05-11}}</ref> | prominence_m = 1069 | prominence_ref= | listing = Mountains of China | range = | country = China | subdivision1_type = Province | subdivision1 = Sichuan | settlement_type = Municipality | settlement = Emeishan City | map = Sichuan#China | map_relief = 1 | map_size = 250 | label_position = right | coordinates = {{coord|29|31|11|N|103|19|57|E|type:mountain_scale:100000|format=dms|display=inline,title}} | coordinates_ref = | first_ascent = | easiest_route = | embedded = {{designation list | embed=yes | designation1 = WHS | designation1_offname = Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area | designation1_date = 1996 <small>(20th session)</small> | designation1_type = Mixed | designation1_criteria = iv, vi, x | designation1_number = [https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/779 779] | designation1_free1name = Region | designation1_free1value = Asia-Pacific}} | fetchwikidata=ALL }} {{Infobox Chinese | pic = Emei_shan_(Chinese_characters).svg | piccap = "Mount Emei" in Chinese characters | picsize = 135px | c = 峨眉山<ref name="mei">In the name "Emei", the character ''méi'' 眉 is sometimes written 嵋; the character ''"É"'' 峨 is occasionally written 峩.</ref> | p = Éméi shān | w = O<sup>2</sup>-mei<sup>2</sup> shan<sup>1</sup> | gr = Ermei shan | mi = {{IPAc-cmn|e|2|.|m|ei|2|-|sh|an|1}} | wuu = Ngu<sup>去</sup> mi<sup>去</sup> sae<sup>平</sup> | j = Ngo<sup>4</sup>-mei<sup>4</sup> saan<sup>1</sup> | y = Ngòh-mèih sāan | ci = {{IPAc-yue|ng|o|4|-|m|ei|4|-|s|aan|1}} | poj = Ngô-ba̍k-soaⁿ }} {{Chinese Buddhism}} {{Chinese martial arts}} '''Mount Emei''' ({{IPAc-cmn|e|2|.|m|ei|2}}; {{lang-zh|c=峨眉山<ref name="mei" />|p=Éméi shān|O2-mei2 shan1}}), alternatively '''Mount Omei''', is a {{convert|3099|m|ft|adj=mid|-tall}} mountain in Sichuan Province, China, and is the highest of the Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains of China.<ref name="Hayes"/> Mount Emei sits at the western rim of the Sichuan Basin. The mountains west of it are known as Daxiangling.<ref>E.g., 实用中国地图集 (''Shiyong Zhongguo Dituji'', "Practical Atlas of China"), 2008, {{ISBN|978-7-5031-4772-2}}; map of Sichuan on pp. 142–143</ref> A large surrounding area of countryside is geologically known as the '''Permian Emeishan Large Igneous Province''', a large igneous province generated by the Emeishan Traps volcanic eruptions during the Permian Period.

Administratively, Mount Emei is located near the county-level city of the same name (Emeishan City), which is in turn part of the prefecture-level city of Leshan. It was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.<ref name="unesco">{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/779 |title=Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area |publisher=UNESCO |access-date=2007-09-06 }}</ref>

== Name == Emei in Chinese means "towering eyebrows".<ref>{{Cite web |title=字頭 「峨」 |url=https://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/search.php?word=峨 |access-date=2025-12-01 |website=Multi-function Chinese Character Database |publisher=Chinese University of Hong Kong}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=Spectacular China |publisher=Könemann |year=1999 |isbn=9783829010771 |editor-last=Guangwei |editor-first=He |location=Cologne |page=98 |translator-last=Wusun |translator-first=Lin |editor-last2=Hualing |editor-first2=Tong |editor-last3=Wenzhen |editor-first3=Yang |editor-last4=Zhenguo |editor-first4=Chang |editor-last5=Zeru |editor-first5=Li |editor-last6=Ruicheng |editor-first6=Dong |editor-last7=Weijan |editor-first7=Gong |translator-last2=Zhongping |translator-first2=Wu}}</ref>

==Relevance to Buddhism== Chinese people offer burning sandalwood near the mountain to send their "prayers to heaven".<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |title=A Day in the Life of China |publisher=Collins |year=1989 |isbn=978-0-00-215321-8 |editor-last=Cohen |editor-first=David |location=San Francisco |pages=108, 150}}</ref>

=== As a sacred mountain === Mount Emei is one of the Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains of China, and is traditionally regarded as the bodhimaṇḍa, or place of enlightenment, of the Bodhisattva Puxian ({{lang|zh-hans|普賢菩薩}}; Samantabhadra).

Sources of the 16th and 17th centuries allude to the practice of martial arts in the monasteries of Mount Emei,<ref>{{cite book | author = Zhāng Kǒngzhāo 張孔昭 | title = Boxing Classic: Essential Boxing Methods 拳經拳法備要 Quánjīng Quánfǎ Bèiyào | language = zh | year = c. 1784}}</ref> which made the earliest extant reference to the Shaolin Monastery as the place of origin of Chinese martial arts.<ref>{{cite journal | first = Stanley E. | last = Henning | date = Fall 1999 | title = Academia Encounters the Chinese Martial Arts | journal = China Review International | volume = 6 | issue = 2 | pages = 319–332 | doi = 10.1353/cri.1999.0020 | issn = 1069-5834 }}.</ref>

Chinese Buddhist pilgrims regularly travel to the mountain.<ref name=":0" />

=== Buddhist architecture on Emei === This is the location of the first Buddhist temple built in China in the 1st century CE.<ref name="unesco"/> The site has seventy-six Buddhist monasteries of the Ming and Qing dynasties, most of them located near the mountain top. The monasteries demonstrate a flexible architectural style that adapts to the landscape. Some, such as the halls of Baoguosi, are built on terraces of varying levels, while others, including the structures of Leiyinsi, are on raised stilts. Here the fixed plans of Buddhist monasteries of earlier periods were modified or ignored in order to make full use of the natural scenery. The buildings of Qingyinge are laid out in an irregular plot on the narrow piece of land between the Black Dragon River and the White Dragon River. The site is large and the winding footpath is {{convert|50|km|abbr=on}} long, taking several days to walk.<ref name="sun">{{cite book | first= Sun | last= Dazhang | year= 2002 | title= Chinese Architecture -- The Qing Dynasty | edition= English | publisher= Yale University Press | pages= [https://archive.org/details/chinesearchitect0000unse/page/328 328–329] | isbn= 0-300-09559-7 | url= https://archive.org/details/chinesearchitect0000unse/page/328 }}</ref>

Cable cars ease the ascent to the two temples at Jinding (3,077&nbsp;m), an hour's hike from the mountain's peak.<ref name=Hayes>Hayes, Holly (2009) [http://www.sacred-destinations.com/china/emei-shan Emei Shan], Sacred Destinations. Updated 24 July 2009.</ref><ref name=Gluckman>Gluckman, Ron (2002). [http://www.gluckman.com/Emei.html Getting to the Top], ''Silk Road'', December 2002. Hong Kong; Dragon Airlines.</ref>

thumb|Statue of Bodhisattva of Pu Xian thumb|Jinding is an important attraction of Mount Emei

== Climate == The summit of Mount Emei has an alpine subarctic climate (Köppen ''Dwc''), with long, cold (but not severely so) winters, and short, cool summers. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from {{convert|−5.7|°C|1}} in January to {{convert|11.6|°C|1}} in July, and the annual mean is {{convert|3.07|°C|1}}. Precipitation is common year-round (occurring on more than 250 days), but due to the influence of the monsoon, rainfall is especially heavy in summer, and more than 70% of the annual total occurs from June to September.

{{Weather box | width = auto | location = Mount Emei, elevation {{convert|3070|m|ft|abbr=on}}, (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1971–present) | single line = Y | metric first = Y | collapsed = Y | Jan record high C = 17.7 | Feb record high C = 18.6 | Mar record high C = 23.9 | Apr record high C = 22.7 | May record high C = 24.2 | Jun record high C = 22.5 | Jul record high C = 22.1 | Aug record high C = 21.5 | Sep record high C = 22.2 | Oct record high C = 19.3 | Nov record high C = 19.5 | Dec record high C = 18.9 | year record high C = 22.7 | Jan record low C = −19.2 | Feb record low C = −19.1 | Mar record low C = −17.2 | Apr record low C = −10.6 | May record low C = −7.4 | Jun record low C = −0.2 | Jul record low C = 2.1 | Aug record low C = 2.8 | Sep record low C = −3.5 | Oct record low C = −11.1 | Nov record low C = −14.7 | Dec record low C = −19.7 | Jan high C = -0.2 | Feb high C = 1.8 | Mar high C = 4.6 | Apr high C = 8.4 | May high C = 11.1 | Jun high C = 13.5 | Jul high C = 15.7 | Aug high C = 15.1 | Sep high C = 12.2 | Oct high C = 7.5 | Nov high C = 5.0 | Dec high C = 1.1 | year high C = | Jan mean C = -5.5 | Feb mean C = -3.6 | Mar mean C = -0.6 | Apr mean C = 3.7 | May mean C = 6.9 | Jun mean C = 9.9 | Jul mean C = 12.1 | Aug mean C = 11.5 | Sep mean C = 8.6 | Oct mean C = 4.0 | Nov mean C = 0.5 | Dec mean C = -3.7 | year mean C = | Jan low C = -8.8 | Feb low C = -6.9 | Mar low C = -3.7 | Apr low C = 0.7 | May low C = 4.1 | Jun low C = 7.4 | Jul low C = 9.8 | Aug low C = 9.3 | Sep low C = 6.4 | Oct low C = 1.9 | Nov low C = -2.3 | Dec low C = -6.8 | year low C = | precipitation colour = green | Jan precipitation mm = 13.3 | Feb precipitation mm = 21.5 | Mar precipitation mm = 57.7 | Apr precipitation mm = 118.4 | May precipitation mm = 169.2 | Jun precipitation mm = 214.8 | Jul precipitation mm = 348.2 | Aug precipitation mm = 385.2 | Sep precipitation mm = 192.7 | Oct precipitation mm = 90.7 | Nov precipitation mm = 35.5 | Dec precipitation mm = 14.0 | year precipitation mm = | unit precipitation days = 0.1 mm | Jan precipitation days = 14.9 | Feb precipitation days = 15.9 | Mar precipitation days = 20.7 | Apr precipitation days = 21.1 | May precipitation days = 21.7 | Jun precipitation days = 23.2 | Jul precipitation days = 22.2 | Aug precipitation days = 21.9 | Sep precipitation days = 22.6 | Oct precipitation days = 24.6 | Nov precipitation days = 16.9 | Dec precipitation days = 13.9 | year precipitation days = | Jan snow days = 15.3 | Feb snow days = 13.1 | Mar snow days = 14.0 | Apr snow days = 7.6 | May snow days = 2.1 | Jun snow days = 0.1 | Jul snow days = 0.0 | Aug snow days = 0.1 | Sep snow days = 0.3 | Oct snow days = 4.4 | Nov snow days = 8.2 | Dec snow days = 10.8 | year snow days = | Jan sun = 147.2 | Feb sun = 138.2 | Mar sun = 142.8 | Apr sun = 132.5 | May sun = 113.2 | Jun sun = 91.1 | Jul sun = 110.9 | Aug sun = 113.4 | Sep sun = 89.0 | Oct sun = 77.4 | Nov sun = 131.0 | Dec sun = 143.3 | year sun = | Jan percentsun = 45 | Feb percentsun = 44 | Mar percentsun = 38 | Apr percentsun = 34 | May percentsun = 27 | Jun percentsun = 22 | Jul percentsun = 26 | Aug percentsun = 28 | Sep percentsun = 24 | Oct percentsun = 22 | Nov percentsun = 41 | Dec percentsun = 45 | year percentsun = | Jan humidity = 79 | Feb humidity = 80 | Mar humidity = 85 | Apr humidity = 86 | May humidity = 85 | Jun humidity = 87 | Jul humidity = 89 | Aug humidity = 90 | Sep humidity = 91 | Oct humidity = 93 | Nov humidity = 86 | Dec humidity = 80 | year humidity = | source 1 = China Meteorological Administration<ref name="cma graphical">{{cite web |url=http://data.cma.cn/data/weatherBk.html |script-title=zh:中国气象数据网 – WeatherBk Data |publisher=China Meteorological Administration |language = zh-hans |access-date=10 October 2023}}</ref><ref> {{cite web|title=Experience Template |url=https://experience.arcgis.com/template/e724038fda394e9d9b7921f10fd1aa55/page/%E7%BA%AF%E8%A1%A8%E6%A0%BC%E7%BB%9F%E8%AE%A1-(%E5%AF%B9%E6%AF%948110%E5%8F%98%E5%8C%96)/?org=UQmaps |script-title=zh:中国气象数据网|publisher=China Meteorological Administration |language = zh-hans | access-date =10 October 2023}}</ref> all-time extreme temperature<ref name = Mherrera>{{cite web |url= http://www.mherrera.org/temp.htm |title= Extreme Temperatures Around the World |access-date= 2024-11-05 }}</ref> All-Time Dec Record High<ref>{{cite web|url=https://weibo.com/1763864272/QjC3ppa76 |script-title=zh:#天气##大回暖##冷空气# 今天四川峨眉山出现了更极端的地形逆温，海拔3千米的峨眉山顶下午气温飙升至18.9度打破了12月最高纪录，而盆地内气温只有9-11度，比如海拔640米的峨边气象站最高只有10度，反而是越往下走越冷了！ |publisher=中国气象爱好者 on Weibo |language = zh-hans | access-date =23 December 2025 |title=Sina Visitor System }}</ref> | source 2 = Weather China<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.weather.com.cn/cityintro/101271409.shtml|title=峨眉山城市介绍|date=2023-04-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230420105314/http://www.weather.com.cn/cityintro/101271409.shtml|archive-date=2023-04-20|website=Weather China}}</ref> | source = }}

==Flora== The flora of Mount Emei varies with elevation, from subtropical evergreen forests at lower elevations to subalpine shrubland around the summit. The mountain is notable for both its species richness and abundance of endemic plants.<ref name = unep>{{cite web |title=Mount Emei Scenic Area, Including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area |url=http://world-heritage-datasheets.unep-wcmc.org/datasheet/output/site/mount-emei-scenic-area-including-leshan-giant-buddha-scenic-area/ |website=World Heritage Datasheet |publisher=International Union for Conservation of Nature and UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre |access-date=16 March 2026 |date=May 2011}}</ref>

At lower elevations Mount Emei is home to the largest, most intact stands of the native Sichuan Basin evergreen broadleaf forest that once covered the Sichuan Basin. Subtropical oaks, ''Schima'', a tree in the tea family, and laurels of the genera ''Machilus, Lindera, Litsea, Cinnamomum'', and ''Phoebe'' are the predominant trees.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Carpenter |first1=Chris |title=Sichuan Basin Evergreen Broadleaf Forests |url=https://www.oneearth.org/ecoregions/sichuan-basin-evergreen-broadleaf-forests/ |website=One Earth |access-date=15 March 2026}}</ref> Above 1500 meters elevation the subtropical evergreen forests transition to mixed evergreen and deciduous broadleaf forests, then mixed broadleaf deciduous and conifer forests and subalpine conifer forests, with subalpine shrubland above 2800 meters elevation.<ref name = unep/>

The mountain is known for its high level of endemism, and approximately 100 plant species have been described as endemic to the area.<ref name = unep/> These include ''Abies fabri'', a rare species of fir tree,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Abies fabri {{!}} Threatened Conifers of the World (en-GB) |url=https://threatenedconifers.rbge.org.uk/conifers/abies-fabri |access-date=2026-01-12 |website=threatenedconifers.rbge.org.uk}}</ref> and ''Magnolia omeiensis'', a species of magnolia tree.<ref>{{cite web |title=''Magnolia omeiensis'' (W.C.Cheng) Dandy |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:554788-1 |website=Plants of the World Online |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |access-date=15 March 2026}}</ref>

==Fauna== About 2,300 animal species have been recorded on the mountain, including 51 mammals, 256 birds, 34 reptiles, 33 amphibians, 60 fish, 42 oligochaetes, and over 1000 insects.<ref name = unep/> Native mammals include the lesser or red panda (''Ailurus fulgens''), Asian golden cat (''Catopuma temminckii''), Asian black bear (''Ursus thibetanus''), and mainland serow (''Capricornis sumatraensis'').<ref name = unep/>

Visitors to Mount Emei will likely see dozens of Tibetan macaques, which can often be viewed taking food from tourists. A famously well-fed, one-armed, elderly female macaque named [https://m.youtube.com/@MonkeysOnMountEmei Xing Xing] has millions of views on YouTube, seemingly showing the macaques’ complete disdain for the hordes of tourists who are often offering them food directly in their faces. It seems that only one elderly woman who lives on the mountain, and her son, are able to be close to Xing Xing, to feed and pet her. Xing Xing appears to consider the woman her best friend, while shunning the offers of food from strangers. If tourists persist in holding food in the monkeys’ faces, they will aggressively grab at the person’s clothing and stare at them, and not let go. If the person continues to irritate the macaque, they are very easily angered and prone to bite. Still, local merchants sell nuts and other foods for the tourists to attempt to feed the monkeys.

Limited-range and threatened birds include the golden-fronted fulvetta (''Schoeniparus variegaticeps''), grey-hooded parrotbill (''Suthora zappeyi''), three-toed parrotbill (''Paradoxornis paradoxus''), Emei Shan liocichla (''Liocichla omeiensis''), red-winged laughingthrush (''Trochalopteron formosum''), Omei warbler (''Phylloscopus omeiensis''), Emei leaf warbler (''Phylloscopus emeiensis''), rusty-breasted tit (''Poecile davidi''), and slaty bunting (''Emberiza siemsseni'').<ref name = unep/>

Native amphibians include the Chinese giant salamander (''Andrias davidianus'') and Omei toothed toad (''Oreolalax omeimontis'').<ref name = unep/> There are at least six snake species native to the region, including the [https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/121118-Pareas-chinensis Chinese slug snake], Mandarin ratsnake, mountain water snake, Peters' odd-scaled snake, plus some potently venomous species, such as the Chinese green tree viper, the brown spotted pitviper and the [https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/145780-Ovophis-makazayazaya Taiwan mountain pitviper]. Other local animals include lizards, such as the Indian forest skink and the lacerta ''Takydromus intermedius'', the frogs ''Rana adenopleura'' and ''Vibrissaphora liui'', and a giant, half-metre long earthworm species, ''Pheretima praepinguis''.

==Gallery== <gallery heights="210"> File:峨眉山风景区 Mount Emei Scenic Area 06.jpg|Wanfoding File:Mount Emei pic 3.jpg|A temple at the Golden Summit File:Massive golden buddha on the sumit of Eimei Shan.jpg|Massive statue of Samantabhadra at the summit of Mount Emei File:Baoguosi.jpg|Baoguo Temple, a Buddhist temple File:报国寺弥勒殿.JPG|Buddhist temple at Mount Emei File:CrystalStreamOverpass2.jpg|Wooden bridgewalk over the Crystal Stream, western slopes File:MacaqueEmeishan.jpg|Macaque indigenous to the region File:Sunrise at Eimei Shan.jpg|Sunrise over Mount Emei File:Sunrise over clouded sea on sumit of Eimei Shan.jpg|Sunrise over a sea of clouds at Mount Emei File:Guangfu pavilion at Mount Emei.JPG|Guangfu pavilion, with summit visible in background File:Elephant statues in the fog on the steps of the temple atop Mount Emei.jpg|Elephant statues on the steps leading to the statue of Samantabhadra File:Mount emei tour.jpg|alt=mount emei travel guide|Monkeys of Mount Emei File:在峨秀湖远望峨眉山 Mount Emei 1.jpg|Mount Emei and Exiu Lake File:在峨秀湖远望峨眉山 Mount Emei 2.jpg|Mount Emei and Exiu Lake </gallery>

==See also== * Baoguo Temple * Fuhu Temple * Jinding, main peak of Mount Emei * Shengji Bronze Bell * Wannian Temple * Xixiang Chi, also known as Tianhua Chanyuan * Zuo Ci * Emei School, fictional martial arts school * Omeisaurus

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== {{Commons category|Mount Emei}} {{Wikivoyage|Mount Emei}} * [http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/485-Religion-and-the-environment-in-China Religion and the environment in China, 中国的宗教与环境 - chinadialogue article] * [https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/779 Mount Emei, including Leshan Giant Buddha, Scenic Area: official Unesco site]

{{World Heritage Sites in China}} {{Sacred Mountains of China}} {{National parks of China}} {{authority control}}

Category:Buddhist grottoes in China Emei Category:National parks of China Category:World Heritage Sites in China Category:Chinese architectural history Emei Category:Tourist attractions in Leshan Category:Buddhism in Sichuan Category:Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Sichuan Category:Buddhist holy places in China Emei