Three Mountains You Should Visit in Sichuan-TeachDiscoverChina

Three Mountains You Should Visit in Sichuan

06 May 2023

As is known to all, there are many famous mountains in China and some of them belong to Sichuan Province. Today we’re going to find out more about three famous and beautiful mountains of the region which undoubtedly are the most popular choices for tourists on weekends and on holidays and which are more easily commutable to. These mountains offer the perfect escape from heat in the summer and the perfect opportunity to see snow scenery in the winter. Let’s begin our climb.

1.) Mount Emei （峨眉山）

Arguably the most impressive mountain is Mount Emei. The 3,099-meter tall mountain is located in Sichuan Province in a city of the same name, Emeishan City. It is the highest of four sacred buddhist mountains in China making it an iconic landmark and well known as a place for enlightenment. Not only that it is also known as the origin of the famed Shaolin King-Fu with the Shaolin Monastery mentioned in sources from 16th and 17th centuries referring to martial arts being practiced in the monasteries on the mountain. This along with the outstanding natural scenery made Mount Emei a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.

It's a great pace for a nice relaxing hike through scenic walk trails passing many peaceful monastaries and temples, getting close to natural wildness along the way. It is said that there are more than 5000 species of plants and over 2300 kinds of animals of which the cute cheeky and playful monkeys have become the most exciting to see due to their naughtiness and intelligence. You’ll see them swing from trees. A tip, don’t eat too close to these monkeys and hold your possessions tightly otherwise a monkey might be carrying your food or bag off to the sunset.

Emei Mountain can be visited in all four seasons with each season providing a unique experience. You can witness the blossom of the azaleas in spring, avoid the heat during the summer, see red maple leaves in the autumn, and enjoy the spectacular snow scenery in the winter. For a more comfortable hike, it’s recommended to go between April and October. Although for those who are not fond of hiking, cable car is always an option to reach the top. There are hotels at the bottom and peak of the mountain. So you can either wake up to the beautiful scenery or wake up relatively early and travel to the peak. Close by is also the amazing Leshan Giant Buddha sculpture in Leshan City. These two hotspots make a great double header of travelling.

2.) Mount Qingcheng

Located in Dujiangyan City, Mount QingCheng is another irreverent mountain of Sichuan Province. It is regarded as the birthplace of Taoism and one of the most important Taoist religious sites in China. The mountain features 36 peaks and many Taoist monasteries and temples. Many of the essential elements of Taosim derived from teachings and practices of the temples that were built here during the Jin and Tang Dynasties. This is the place where the Yellow Emperor convened his studies. Now the area is also home to the Dujiangyan Giant Panda Center. Since 2000, Mount Qingcheng together with the close by Dujiangyan Irrigation system has become another of China’s many UNESCO World Heritage sites, another great double bill for travelling within Sichuan.

Mount Qingcheng is about 49km from Chengdu and is quite convenient to get to. Since aincent times, It has largely been known as one of the serenest mountains beneath heaven. Througought the year the whole mountain is covered with astonishingly beautiful evergreen forests that do not lose their colour. This is why it’s called ‘Qingcheng’ mountain as this literally translates as green mountain. The Mount Qingcheng scenic spot is divided into the front and back mountains and the altitude is not that high, providing a more comfortable hike, passing beautiful clear waterfalls, rivers, stone carvings and lush green plants. The front mountain is most popular and the main attraction featuring most of the temples, historical and cultural relics. The back mountain is even more tranquil with more beautiful natural scenery. Via both mountains you can enjoy the fresh air and great views. The more you go up the mountain, the cooler you feel with the comfort of the wind on your face providing a great escape from the heat of the summer.

When you go to Mount Qingcheng you will find that nature is truly the best gift for human beings. It is a journey for your eyes and heart. When you reach the top you will let go of everything and experience the comfort there.

There are also plenty of hotels and hostels near the entrance of the mountain and of course you can also take a cable car to the peak of the mountain if necessary.

3.) Xiling Snow Mountain (西岭雪山)

Xiling Snow Mountain Scenic Park is located in Dayi County, 95km from Chengdu. With an altitude of 5,364m it is the highest peak within the Chengdu region. Covered with snow throughout the year, Xiling Snow Mountain is a great place to both experience natural beauty and for the excitement of winter sports. The scenic spot features the largest and best alpine ski resort in South China equipped with great facilities for skiing whether you’re a beginner or more advanced.

With its breathtaking views and scenery, Xiling Snow Mountain is another paradise for sightseers. Even the great famous ancient poet Du Fu wrote about this mountain when he described it as ‘Everlasting snow on the West Mountain viewed within a glance from my window. Ships from the Eastern Country gather around by the gate of my house.’

After travelling by bus to the foot of the mountain, you can find plenty of hotels, hostels and accommodation. You can buy cable car tickets to the middle of the mountain where the ski resort is or to the peak of the mountain where you feel like you’re standing on top of the world with the sea of white clouds in front of you.

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Chengdu is the newest tier one city in China, with a population of more than 21 million. Living and working in this this massive metropolis of a city was made all the more convenient by its remarkable rapid transit system, making the city easy to travel, commute and navigate. We are of course talking about the Chengdu Metro which serves an estimated 8 million trips per day. There’s literally a metro station every 15/20 minutes away that can take you to some of the hottest tourist attractions in Chengdu. Let’s find out more! The Chengdu metro is relatively new with the first line opening in 2010 and now it has more than 12 lines in operation with a total length of more than 500km, making it the fourth longest metro system in the world, and there is more expansion to come. Each station feels modern and clean using state of the art technology, with excellent designs that fuse traditional and modern China. Speaking of technology, you cannot skip line 9, the first fully automated and unmanned metro line in western China. It’s worth going to the front so you can see through the window into the underground. Each metro line has its own designated colour. Line 1 is dark blue, line 2 is orange, line 3 is magenta, line 4 is green, line 5 is purple, line 6 is brown, line 7 is sky blue, line 8 is chartreuse, line 9 is earth yellow and so on. The cool part about Chengdu’s metro is each station has its own unique design and style, sometimes combining ancient Chinese elements, creating a different feel and experience each time. My personal favourite station is Jinsha Site Museum station of line 7, named after the world-famed museum it is close too. I like it not because of its convenience to the museum but also because the station uses murals to recreate various life scenes of ancient Shu people, including casting, poettery and jade making. This station is of course specifically deisnged for the Jinsha site and also features themes of sun birds and green jade pillars. As soon as you step off the metro you’ll feel the vivid world of ancient Shu culture. What’s more the Chengdu metro is very easy to use and very convenient for tourists and foreigners with bilingual signs featuring English along with Chinese. And if you need assistance there’s always staff in the kiosk or I’m sure a local Chinese will be willing to help. You can find ticketing machines easily in each station and they come with an English option too. You just choose your destination and the machine will calculate the cost, then you can pay by cash or via mobile payment e.g. WeChat or Alipay. The price starts from 2 RMB and will increase according to the distance you travel. If you’re here for the long-term I’d recommend getting Tianfu Tong Travel Card and then you can top up your card once a month to use on the metro just to save time. Usually these are available from the kiosks of major metro stations or at the airport. After staying in the city for a while, you will start to notice that most people don’t use a physical ticket or card, they just use their phone to pay for the ticket, via scanning the QR code on your phone. This is a little more advanced, to do this, you will need to download the app called Tianfutong or your can access the transport section of Alipay if you have it, this way you can get some discounts on your travel costs. We hope this has given you a rough idea of Chengdu’s amazing metro system and we look forward to welcoming you to explore Chengdu via its metro. If you do have any questions related to this topic or on teaching English in China, please drop us an email at [email protected]

Have you ever heard of Chengdu？ Don’t worry I am going to introduce this beautiful city to you. Chengdu is a rapidly growing metropolis in the southwestern part of China and it is the capital of Sichaun Province. Chengdu has many nicknames such as Rongcheng (蓉城) meaning Hibiscus City, as the hibiscus flower is a well known symbol of the city. It is also known as the ‘Land of Abundance’ because of its plentiful charms. Chengdu is lively with welcoming locals, positive and fashionable vibes. There are many great places to see and visit. A mahjong city, you can not only eat hotpot, but also see those cute pandas. On weekends you can go to a pub or reastaurant to eat, drink and relax. The gastronomy and night life scene here make it an excellent choice for expats and TEFL teachers. I'd like to recommend some of the restaurants/bars I've been to. 1.) Shu Daxia Hot pot（蜀大侠火锅）, Chunxi Road The restaurant environment is nice and it looks very clean.They have a great variety of tasty dishes and fresh ingredients. The hot pot has a variety of flavors, you can choose according to your own needs. The waiters also have a good attitude, as long as customers need, they will be enthusiastic to help. Most importantly, their prices are relatively affordable. Last but not least, eating a Sichuan hot pot is one of the best social and cultural experiences in the city. It’s definitely a must try! 2.) Pho Ha noi (越魅), Near Wide and Narrow Alley Chengdu also boasts a vibrant international community and there are plenty of international cuisines you can try as well. Such as this Vietnamese restaurant. The decoration style is very unique. It was my first time to try Vietnamese food and I can say that I was blown away by the taste. I will definitely come again next time. Their food is very special, if you are tired of the same food every day, try this restaurant. 3. Ran.BBQ.Camping bar (燃.烧烤江湖菜.露营餐吧), Wangping Road Actually on Wangping Road, there are an abundance of great food and restaurants, that are worth trying. I’d recommend this one in particular as it’s very relaxing for chatting with friends, drinking wine, eating barbecue and listening to music, with an enjoyable environment. The BBQ taste particularly good. When you walk into the restaurant, you will think it’s expensive, but when you go to the pay the bill, you’ll be pleasantly shocked at the price. As we all know, Chengdu not only has a lot of delicious food but a great entertainment scene. There is a famous song by Chinese singer Zhao Lei named after the city itself and you’ll often hear this song played here. The bar described in the lyrics of the song ‘Chengdu’ must be a place where people want to relax. Speaking of which, here are some bars, that you can check out here. 1.) Little Bar, Yulin Road If you’ve heard the song ‘Chengdu’, then you’ll know the ‘Little Bar’ is the bar referenced in the lyrics. It’s not a big space inside, but it’s a great place for drinking and socializing with a few friends. ‘Little Bar’ is one of the top 10 bars in Chengdu and should be on your list to visit. 2.) Rong Live House, Guixi Road This is a live house I’ve been to a few times. You can go here with your friends to take it easy, relax, listen to some great music, drink some wine, and sing together. Their singers sing really well creating a good lively atmosphere, in that moment you will forget all your troubles, and you feel like you’re at a live concert. This is great for after a long week’s work. If you want to listen to the song ‘Chengdu’ by Zhao Lei, please click the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcZ-JZbHf-0&list=RDRcZ-JZbHf-0&start_radio=1 That’ll be all for today. If you’d like to come and teach English in Chengdu, we can help. Get in touch at [email protected] or visit our jobs board: https://www.teachdiscoverchina.com/index.php?m=&c=jobs&a=jobs_list