Suggested Itinerary
Day 1. Beijing / Wutai Shan We will drive 4-5 hours and arrive at Taihuai County, Shanxi for lunch. In the afternoon, we will take a walk in the village-like township and encounter a variety of people it attracts. The mountain also has a special religious significance for Tibetan Buddhists and so attracts Tibetan monks, nuns, and laypeople from all over China. Ask around and you will usually learn of some mass gathering in one or another of the temples. Alms meals (dazhai) for the nuns and monks (paid for by wealthy patrons to amass good karma) take place frequently all summer.
We head to the Xiantong Si Temple in Taihuai County, which is the largest and one of the oldest of the temples at Wutai Shan. It was first built in A.D. 68; the surviving halls date from the Ming and Qing dynasties. Climb the belfry for a commanding view of the town and mountains. Tong Dian (Bronze Hall) in the temple is lined with thousands of miniature statues said to symbolize the myriad bodhisattvas to whom Manjusri read the Buddhist scriptures while he lived on Wutai Shan. The bronze roof and outside structures are remarkable for their flawless imitation of timber construction and wood design.
Next to it is Tayuan Si, easily recognized by its tall white pagoda which dominates Taihuai's skyline and has become the symbol of Wutai Shan. A smaller pagoda is said to contain strands of Manjusri's hair. Equally famed is the two-story Sutra Library in Tayuan Si. Later we walk to Suxiang Si, which enshrines the largest Wenshu Boddhisattva statue.
We have a vegetarian dinner and stay overnight in the Flower & Plant Villa.
Day 2. Wutai Shan / Beijing We start the day with visiting the highest peak (by cable car) and monastery on the summit - the "North Platform" (the north rounded peak), and view the whole Wutai Mountain area, and then visit the "East Platform" (east peak). After lunch, we drive back to Beijing (arrival around 19:00-20:00).