Today we made our way to Emeishan where we explored the steep cliffs, lofty peaks and forests. The slopes of Emei Shan have been inhabited since as early as 10,000 years ago. It was originally a Taoist retreat, but became a sacred Buddhist mountain by the 3rd century AD.

Pugong, a medicinal plant farmer, built the Puguang Hall on the Golden Summit in the 1st century AD. Emei Shan literally means "Delicate Eyebrow Mountain" — it derives its name from two peaks which face each other and look like the delicate eyebrows of a Chinese classic beauty. Emei Shan is a UNESCO World Heritage Site featuring many temples, natural wonders and breathtaking scenery. The slopes incorporate several different climates and much wildlife, especially birds and trees. Some of the trees are more than 1,000 years old. There are also monkeys, who are accustomed to tourists but will beg for food and grab at bags as you walk along the trails. Many hikers carry walking sticks to shoo them away.

Our bus took us half way up the mountain, then we saw the Jieyindian Temple which is the cable car station. We boarded the cable car and made our way up the mountain to Lei Tong Ping. From here we had about and 45 minute walk up uneven steps. Along the way there were pavilions, monkeys, and magnificent views. We were astounded how the local Chinese workers were carrying wet sand in cane baskets on their backs up to the summit. There is a new temple being built and the only way to get the sand up the mountain is to manually move it. We met a woman who was 55 and she was carrying 70kgs of wet sand on her back. Finally at the summit and whilst the weather was terrible and the clouds were laying low, the ambience of the area was magnificent. We were at 3079 metres altitude and some of our fellow travellers were suffering with their breathing and had to take the sedans down to a lower altitude.

There are two temples here (the friendly Woyun Nunnery and the large Huazang Si) and thousands of padlocks inscribed with couples' names to symbolize eternal love.

Huazang Si on Jinding was founded as early as the 1st century as the Puguang Hall, later becoming the Guangxiang Temple and receiving its present royal name in 1614. It was extensively rebuilt and refurnished in the 1970s, but every effort was made to preserve its original appearance.

The Golden Summit complex is built along a central axis on a slope, from the lowest to the highest are the Ten Faced Puxian stupa which stands 48 metres tall and weighs 660 tons and is surrounded by urns containing the ashes of Buddhist, the Grand Hall of the Great Sage which houses statues of the Guatama Buddha and two disciples main hall and the Puxian hall built in 1615 is located behind the main hall at the highest point and is over 8 metres tall.

We made our way back down to the cable car area where we had lunch. Our coach then picked us up and dropped us at Wannian Temple. Wannian Temple means "Temple with Thousands of Years of History" is one of eight temples on Emei Mountain sitting 1020 metres above sea level. Built in 265 is known for its three valuable treasures. The Beamless Hall, its renowned Puxian Buddha Idol and the Tooth of Buddha. The "Beamless Hall" is 17 meters high and resembles a Mongolian yurt, with a dome roof and square floor, which are said to represent the ancient ideals of the sky (found in the dome) and the earth (in the square floor).

The Puxian Buddha idol was built in memory of the bodhisattva Puxian, believed to be the protector of Mount Emei. The large idol, dating back all the way to 980 A.D., is now housed in Beamless Hall, and towers 8.5 meters high, cast in copper and bronze and weighing an estimated 62,000 kg. This Buddha idol is situated on a white elephant and supposedly if you can manage to rub the elephant's back, it will bring you years of good fortune.

The temple also preserves a precious tooth believed to belong to the Buddha, measuring 1.28 inches and weight 6.5 kg. It was sent by a monk from Sri Lanka during the Ming Dynasty who claimed that when Sakyamanui was cremated in the fire his teeth were well preserved. Science has proven that the tooth belongs to an ancient elephant from over 200,000 years ago.

Another reason Wannian Temple is famous is the "instrument playing frog". Legend has it that there is a special kind of small frog on Mt Emei in the rectangle pond to the right of the Wannian Temple, and every evening pleasant sounds can be heard from the frogs. The temple is also known for it's recently famous "bamboo leaf" tea.

From here we walked for about three hours down the mountain where we passed many pavilions. Qingyin Pavilion, built against the mountainside at the foot of the Niuxin Ridge, is an ensemble of pavilions, towers, and platforms, the earliest dating from the early 6th century. Its location and the streams that run through it have earned it the name "The Mountain Garden."

As we made our way down we also stopped at the Crouching Tiger Monastery (Fuhu Si), Emei's largest temple. Once associated with the Taoist martial-arts master Zhang Sanfeng, today it is a Guanyin nunnery. Notable features include the 16th-century, 7m-high bronze Huayan Pagoda, which is engraved with 4700 Buddha images.

We continued downhill to the base of the mountain and made our way to Baoquo Monastery which contained a massive bronze bell, said to be heard from 10 miles away when rung. This monastery is the largest on the mountain and was built in the Ming Dynasty in the 16th century.

There are over 30 Buddhist temples on Emei Shan, 10 of which are large and very old. The monastery has serene gardens with rare plants, a library of sutras and a huge porcelain Buddha. In the stone staircase of the rear hall are figures of the Eight Immortals, betraying the temple's Taoist origins.

We continued down a steep cobbled path and followed a river to the Wuxian Gang Parking lot where we were transferred back to our hotel. We walked in excess of 18kms and down over 2000 cobbled steps today and were looking forward to our banquet dinner.