Wutai Mountain
The
Wutai Mountain, situated in the northeastern corner of Wutai County ,
is one of the four major Buddhist mountain sanctuaries in China. As the
legend says, this mountain was the place where Buddhist ceremonies were
held in as early as the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD). During the years
that followed, a large number of buildings were constructed in this area.
Now one can still find more than 40 temples and monasteries scattering
in the mountain area.
The Wutai Mountain is famous for its beautiful surroundings, with trees covering ancient temples and monasteries. The buildings look exceptionally impressive, and the stone carvings are of superb craftsmanship. The painted sculptures are of various shapes and types and no two sculptures are of the same kind.
The
Grand Hall of the Foguang Temple on the Mountain are wood structures built
during the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907 AD); as the earliest of their kind
in this country, they share an important position in world and Chinese
architecture history.
Mount Wutai has five main peads: namely wanghai(Sea Viewing )in the east, Guayue (Hanging Moon)in the west, Yedou in the north Jin Xiu (Brocade)in the south and caiyan (Green Bock )in the center.