Mount Jizu - famous Buddhist Mountain in Southern China
Last Update: 19th October 2020
Standing around 95 kilometers northeast of Dali Old Town, Mount Jizu enjoys a good reputation across Southeast Asia. It is a multi-functional tourist attraction that integrates Buddhism culture, natural landscape, Buddhist pilgrimage, Buddhist studies, sightseeing and scientific investigation. Jizu means the claws of a chicken. The name of the mountain came from its shape.
Mount Jizu Fast Facts
- Chinese Name: Jizushan (鸡足山)
- Area: 2,822 hectares
- Things to do there: Photography, Nature, Hiking, Buddhism
- Who visits: Photographers, Adventure Enthusiasts, Buddhist Believers
- Time required: 6 – 8 x hours
Wendy Wei Tours offers a variety of different packaged tours as well as custom tours including Jizu Mountain, among other attractions and destinations. To find out more, please visit our Tours page or Contact Us directly to find out more.
What to expect at Mount Jizu
Mount Jizu offers stunning sunrise on the top of the mountain. In addition, you could also overlook Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake in the west and Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in the north.
Like Cangshan Mountain, Mount Jizu offers several ecospheres as well. Thus, you will experience even four season’s climate on the mountain. Between April and May, you will enjoy a variety of azalea in blossom. In ancient China, there were more than 100 temples on the mountain. Unfortunately, just tens of them survive nowadays.
Jiashe Temple is situated on a cliff of Chaping Peak. Jiulian Temple is the first temple to be seen after you enter the mountain gate. The seated sandalwood statue of Maha-kassapa is worshiped in the temple. It is 3.3 meters tall. The temple is surrounded by green woods. Originally built in the Tang Dynasty (618 – 907), Shizhong Temple lies at the foot of Xianhe Peak. It was renovated in the Period of Kangxi Emperor (1662 – 1722) in the Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1912). Chafang Waterfalls pour down on the southeast of the temple. You will find one pond on the north and the east of the temple.
Zhusheng Temple – the largest temple on the mountain, originally named Yingxiang Temple, was built in the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644). It is located at the foot of Boyu Peak which is the heart of Mount Jizu. The Buddha is worshiped in the middle of the temple. On both sides of the Buddha are 500 gilded arhats. Burmese jade reclining Buddha, jasper Guanyin, calligraphy and paintings by celebrities, etc. are well-preserved in the Treasure Building. In addition, you will find a bronze cooking vessel which weighs 1,500 kilograms. The temple also offers the Hall of the Heavenly Kings, and a drum tower to explore.
The Golden Peak Temple is situated on the Tianzhu Peak with an elevation of 3,220 meters. It was originally built between 1488 and 1505. Lengyan Pagoda offers amazing views of the sunrise in the east, Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake in the west, the sea of clouds in the south and the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in the north.
If you are interested and have enough time, you could also visit other temples hidden in the woods, such as Huayan Temple, Biyun Temple, Dajue Temple, Yuhuang Temple, Wuhua Nunnery, Wanshou Nunnery and the like.
If you are planning to visit Mount Jizu for photography purposes, the best time to visit is at dawn.
The best months to visit are from April to October.
How to get to Mount Jizu
There is no direct bus from Kunming or Dali to Mount Jizu. But you could take a direct bus to Binchuan County (宾川县) from Kunming or Dali. Then, take a direct bus from the county to the mountain gate of Mount Jizu (please get off at Lingshan Yihui (灵山一会)). Then, take a bus from Lingshan Yihui, the mountain gate of Mount Jizu to Zhusheng Temple. It is 3.2 kilometers from Lingshan Yihui. Or you could rent a vehicle from Dali or Kunming to Lingshan Yihui.
- Opening hours for the mountain: 09:00 – 18:00
- Opening hours for the cable car and the shuttle bus: 09:00 – 17:00
- As at 19th October 2020, the entrance ticket to Mount Jizu is 55 CNY per person; the entrance ticket to the round-trip cable car is 75 CNY per person; Children under 1.2m tall (1.2m tall not included) are free of charge. For the latest pricing information, please contact us via email (info@wendyweitours.com)
- Visitors are suggested to wear long trousers and shirts on the mountain and take more warm clothes as the temperature on the mountain is much lower than that at the foot of the mountain.
- Please take an umbrella or a raincoat as the weather on the mountain is changing.
- It is around 8 kilometers long from Lingshan Yihui, the mountain gate of Mount Jizu to the Golden Peak Temple. It usually takes around 2.5 hours hike-up to the temple.