Tiantai Peak & Tiantai Temple
天台峰·天台寺
Tiantai Peak and its summit temple, Tiantai Temple (Dizang Chan Temple), stand at about 1,300 m. Nearby are the cliff inscription “Not of This World.” The saying goes, “Without reaching Tiantai, it’s as if you never came to Jiuhua.”
Tiantai Peak is one of the main summits of Jiuhua Mountain, rising to about 1,306 m. Its summit temple, Tiantai Temple, is also called Dizang Chan Temple. According to tradition, this is where Jin Dizang recited sutras each morning. In front of the peak are ancient features such as the Bai Jing Tai (Sutra-Worshipping Platform), Guanyin Peak, and the Great Peng Listening Stone. On clear days, you can see the “Tiantai Dawn” and surging clouds, one of the Ten Views of Jiuhua.
The standard route is to take the shuttle bus from Jiuhua Street to Phoenix Pine, then ride the Tiantai cable car to the area near its lower station. From there, climb the stone steps for about 30 to 40 minutes to reach Tiantai Temple. To descend, take the ancient path past Bai Jing Tai and down to Minyuan. Bamboo groves and streams line the route and are beautiful. Fit hikers can walk the whole route, which takes about 5 to 6 hours round trip from Jiuhua Street.
Admission is included in the mountain entry ticket, but the cable car costs extra.
Notes: The stone steps are steep and slippery in rain or fog, so wear non-slip shoes. The summit is windy and cold, so bring a jacket. To see the sunrise, either stay overnight on the mountain or set off very early.
Opening hours
Cable car approx. 07:00–17:00 (varies by season)
Nearby sights
- Ancient Sutra-Worship Terrace
- Shiwang Peak
- Huiju Temple
- Huatai Scenic Area
- Minyuan Nunneries
- Phoenix Pine
- Dongya Chan Temple
- Baisui Palace