Mount Emei in Leshan, Sichuan, is one of China four Buddhist holy mountains (sacred to the bodhisattva Samantabhadra), listed with the Leshan Giant Buddha in 1996.
The Golden Summit is the heart: at 3,079 m stands the 48-metre gilded Samantabhadra statue; sunrise, cloud seas, the halo and holy lamps are called the four wonders.
Monkeys run the show: troops gather around Qingyin Pavilion and Wannian Temple - do not feed them, do not carry plastic bags (they grab), keep your distance.
The hiking route (Baoguo Temple-Qingyin-Hongchun-Xixiang Pool-Summit) covers about 60 km over 2 days; for a relaxed trip, shuttle bus plus cable car reaches the summit in a day.
Tickets: 160 yuan high season, 110 low; shuttle and cable car extra; summit hotels (Golden Summit Hotel) let you catch sunrise - book ahead.
Combine with the Leshan Giant Buddha: it sits in downtown Leshan, about an hour away - do both in a day or two.
