Thousand-Buddha Mountain (Qianfo Shan)

Lying 2.5 kilometers (1.55 miles) to the south of Jinan, Shandong Province, the Thousand-Buddha Mountain (Qianfo Shan) is one of the key points of interest in the city of Jinan. It is about 258 meters high (846 feet) ranging from east to west. It has been constructed into a park in 1959 which occupies an area of about 166 hectares (140 acres).

The mountain was called Mt. Li in ancient times. However, in the early days of Sui Dynasty (581-618) a great many statues of Buddha were chiseled on the rocks of the mountain and the Thousand-Buddha Temple was built and soon became famous, so the name of the temple was to become that of the mountain. There are many scenic spots and historical relics distributed in Thousand-Buddha Mountain. You can enjoy the beautiful sceneries all along the way wandering up either by foot or by bus.
 

The Thousand-Buddha Temple was renamed as Xingguo Temple after reparation during Tang Dynasty (618-907). It is located at half way of the mountain, leaning against the cliff on the south and overlooking the Jinan City on the north. There are the Daxiong Baodian, Kwan-yin Hall, the Laughing Buddha Hall and Duihua Kiosk distributed in the temple. Four seal characters carved on the cliff southwest of the temple is a celebrated stone inscription in the city of Jinan. The Lishan Courtyard, to the east of the temple, where you can see Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism harmonize with each other in one courtyard. The Shun Temple, the Luban Temple, the Wenchang Pavilion and the Yilan Kiosk are to be found in it.
 

More than 130 statues of Buddha carved in the Sui Dynasty are bearded on the south side of Thousand-Buddha Mountain. And the cliff holds four caves abreast from west to east, namely Longquan Cave, Jile Cave, Qianlou Cave and lvzu Cave.
 

The Wanfo Cave (about 500 meters (1,640feet) long) was constructed in the north side of Thousand-Buddha Mountainwhich draws elite of the four famous grottoes in China (The Mogao Caves, The Longmen Grottoes, The Yungang Caves and The Maiji Caves. About 23,000 pieces of statues in designs of Buddha, Bodhisattva, Disciples and Guardian Kings, etc. fully reveal the superb workmanship of sculpture in the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534), the Tang Dynasty and the Song Dynasty (960-1279).
 

Besides, the famous Shandong Revolutionary Martyrs Cemetery for Revolution of 1911 is situated in the east side of Thousand-Buddha Mountain. Built in 1934, the cemetery was put under the provincial protection in1979.

The Park of Thousand-Buddha Mountain was listed as one of the Seven Beauty Spots of Shandong Province in1995. Great efforts have been made to add many scenic spots such as Qi Lu Inscriptions, water pull, gardens and ropeways, etc. in recent years.
 

1. Take Bus 152, K152 or K64 to Qianfoshan Fengqingqu (Thousand-Buddha Mountain Scenic Area).
2. Take Bus 137, K137, 169, K169, or K170 to Qianfoshan Nanmen.
3. Take Bus K85 to Qianfoshan Xilu.
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