Should we, or should we not, ascend Jiuhua Shan to pay homage at a Buddhist shrine? Tough decision. After all, we’re from Nanjing and therefore know a thing or two about climbing hundreds of steps to see a dead fella.
But it turned out the dead fella was in fact a woman. And she was also the first female Buddha in all of China, no less.
But we are getting ahead of ourselves. Before ascending anything, one first has to get to Chizhou. And that’s a piece of cake; an hour and a bit from Nanjing South Railway Station into southern Anhui Province. Oh yes, we are now in the vicinity of Yellow Mountain.
After arriving in Chizhou, you will first notice how relaxed you feel. And there’s a good reason for that; the excellent air quality that makes Chizhou top for atmosphere quality in Anhui Province.
Then there is the Negative Oxygen Ion content that is 35 times higher than fresh air standards defined by the World Health Organisation. Negative ions are believed to produce biochemical reactions that increase levels of serotonin, helping to alleviate depression, relieve stress and boost our daytime energy.
In short, the air in Chizhou makes people feel magical.
It’s green too. In Chizhou, there are 17.5 square metres of green space for every citizen, or space enough to park two cars. Such a high proportion of green also gives rise to the freshest local produce around.
And nature’s abundant bounty does not end there. Those in the construction industry will be interested to know that around Chizhou are 100 million tons in reserves of calcite, essential for the marble in many of today’s greatest buildings.
Such diversions aside, people more than anything come to Chizhou as the stopping off point on their way to surely the top stop on an essential tour that is Jiuhua Shan, one of the four sacred mountains of Chinese buddhism and one of the first batch of 5A level scenic spots.
Here, the breathtaking scenery is also home to some of the oldest temples around; Huacheng Temple, which dates back more than 1,500 years (and where the incense is the finest we have ever sniffed); and Tonghui Temple, resting place of Abbess Renyi.
Born in 1911 in Shenyang, today the capital of Liaoning Province, real-name, Jiang Sumin, devoted herself to Daoism after becoming a monk in 1940.
In somewhat of a contradiction, when the Korean War broke out, she served with the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army and was stationed in North Korea in 1951.
Later in life, regardless of age, Renyi travelled extensively to practice medicine, build temples, do good deeds and make friends. When back on Jiuhua Shan, she taught people tirelessly, until passing away at the age of 85.
And that’s when things get really interesting. Or rather, they would, some 3 years and 2 months later. For 2 January, 1999, was to go down in history. On that day, the temple’s abbot and master bhiksuni, Si Shang, was to uncover a world first.
Si carefully opened the vat with Renyi inside. He found her sitting upright. Her hair had grown more than an inch. Her teeth were intact, her nails long, the pores of her skin clear and her body still flexible.
Removing the shroud, Si then found the kicker. There was no trace of female characteristics. Her breasts had disappeared, her chest was flat, and her lower body was long and seamless.
In death, this ordinary bhikkhu had become a Bodhisattva. And there is no other record of such an occurrence anywhere else on Earth.
Renyi remains enshrined there today, in gold. And it’s humbling to behold her.
The Nanjinger made its trip up Jiuhua Shan on an ordinary weekday morning. By 9am, there were already long queues of cars awaiting opening time, when they would (very, very) slowly begin to snake their way up the mountain. Take our word for it; getting there early and being at the head of the queue is the only way.
