Fanjingshan (梵净山), China

Fanjingshan. Photo: Mande5255881/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

The Fanjingshan (梵净山) or Mount Fanjing, located in Tongren, Guizhou province, is the highest peak of the Wuling Mountains in southwestern China, at an elevation of 2,570 m (8,430 ft).

The mountain's name "Fanjing" is an abbreviation of Fantian Jingtu, or "Brahma's Pure Land". Fantian is the Chinese name for the Buddhist heavenly king Brahmā, and Jingtu is Chinese for "pure land", the focus of Pure Land Buddhism.

The Fanjingshan National Nature Reserve was established in 1978 and designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1986. The reserve covers a total area of 567 km2 (219 sq mi) and is a conservation area for primitive vegetation of the mid sub-tropic alpine region of western China.

Fanjingshan. Photo: chp13579753/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Fanjingshan's relative isolation has ensured a high degree of biodiversity. Endemic species such as the rare Guizhou golden monkey (Rhinopithecus brelichi) and the Fanjingshan fir (Abies fanjingshanensis) occur only in a small region centering on Fanjingshan.

Several endangered species, including the Chinese giant salamander, forest musk deer, and Reeve's pheasant are also found in Fanjingshan. It is also home to the largest and most contiguous subtropical primeval beech forest.

Fanjingshan is considered a sacred mountain of Chinese Buddhism, ranking just behind the Four Sacred Mountains of Buddhism. It is considered the bodhimaṇḍa (or daochang)--a spot in which one reached enlightenment--of the Maitreya Buddha.

Fanjingshan. Photo: Nyx Ning/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

In 2010, the Fanjingshan Buddhist Cultural Park was opened, with a Golden Hall that houses a five-meter-tall statue of the Maitreya Buddha made with 250 kilograms (550 lb) of gold and thousands of gems. It is said to be the largest gold Maitreya statue in the world. (Wikipedia)

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