Mount Emei (aka Omei) is a 3,099-meter mountain located 200 kilometers southeast of Chengdu in Sichuan Province, China. Dramatic cliffs provide excellent views of the Himalayan Plateau to the west. It is notable for its very diverse vegetation, including a rare plant called the "dove tree." Monkeys harass pilgrims for food on the trail up the mountain, and bearded toads, tree frogs, silver pheasants, and a small species of panda inhabit the undisturbed wilderness of the mountain.
The site has been sacred for over 2,000 years. The Taoists practiced on the mountain during the Eastern Han dynasty (25–220 AD). The first Buddhist temple is reported to have been built there in the first century AD. Mount Emei is one of the four sacred Buddhist mountains in China. Imperial support of Buddhist institutions at Mount Emei was granted at the end of the Tang dynasty (618–907 AD) and during the Song dynasty (960–1279). The most remarkable was the Giant Buddha of Leshan, carved out of a hillside in the eighth century and looking down over the junction of three rivers. At 71 meters high, it is the largest Buddha in the world. Another famous image on the mountain is an enormous bronze statue cast in 980. This statue was mounted on a white ceramic elephant during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), which saw a revival of imperial patronage for the mountain's Buddhist monasteries. In the fourteenth century, over one hundred temples and thousands of monks and nuns could be found there; only twenty temples remain today. Emei Mountain (in Tibetan: Glang chen 'gying ri), which is located within the sight of the Tibetan border, is currently a pilgrimage destination for both Chinese and Tibetan Buddhists. In the past, many Tibetan lamas lived in temples on Mount Emei. A number of them were expert in the Tibetan Lions Roar or Tibetan White Crane gung fu. And, some say, snake gung fu. In 1996 the mountain, including the Leshan Giant Buddha scenic area, was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Wing Chun’s mythical ancestor, Ng Mui is said to have lived on Mount Emei in the White Crane Temple. Miu Shun, her disciple, also lived on Mount Emei. A Buddhist monk, he was said to be a snake art expert when he met Ng Mui. Some believe they developed Wing Chun on Mount Emei by combining the crane and snake gung fu arts. This is given some credence if we look at the arts developed on Mount Emei. Yuen Kay San Wing Chun has nothing in common with the Sil Lum arts from whence Wing Chun is said, especially in Hong Kong Wing Chun histories, to have derived. However, it is quite similar to Emei arts.
Further Reading
- Emei Shan Tu Zhi (Mount Omei: Illustrated Guide). (1967) With a translation by Dryden Linsley Phelps. Hong Kong: University Press Reprint.
- Fojiao Xiehui. (1990) Emei Shan (Mount Emei). Chengdu, China: Sichuan Renmin Chubanshe.