Thousand Buddha Mountain

The Thousand Buddha Mountain (Chinese: 千佛山; pinyin: Qiānfó Shān) is a hill located about 2.5 kilometers southeast of the city of Jinan, the capital of Shandong Province, China.

It is renowned for its numerous Buddha images which have been carved out of the hill's rock faces or free-standing structures erect since the times of the Sui dynasty (581–618) and its Xingguochan Temple.

[1] The Thousand Buddha Mountain Public Park has been developed extensively for—mostly local tourism—by the creation of access roads and walking paths as well the addition of amusement park features such as a 600-meter-long chairlift, a summer slide (the "Shun'neng Slide") down the hill, a kart racing track, and numerous souvenir stalls.

About 130 Buddha statues which were carved into Thousand-Buddha Cliff during the Sui period remain today, which can trace back for over 1400 years.

A large inscription (total area about 15 square meters) cut into the cliff face to the southwest of the identifies it as the "Number One Temple" (Di Yi Mi Hua).

In one of the temple's courtyards stands a sculpture of the legendary Emperor Shun, who is—according to the local tradition—credited with first ploughing the soil in Jinan as well as with inventing the writing brush.

Lishanyuan courtyard, to the east of the temple, is surrounded by sites of worship belonging to Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism.

The names of these buildings are: the Shun and the Luban Ancestral Temples, the Wenchang ("Develop the Culture") Cabinet, and the Yilan Kiosk.

Other notable buildings on the hill are: the Pagoda Tree Pavilion (Tang dynasty), Cloud Passing Zen Temple, and the Tanghuai Kiosk.

A major tourist attraction is the Myriad Buddha Cave (Wanfo Dong) at the foot of the hill's northern slope.

According to the operators (information provided on the backside of the entrance ticket as of 2006), around 28 000 Buddhist images are on display inside the cave, the biggest statue—a lying Buddha—is 28 meters long.

[9] During the week of Qixi Festival, the Chinese Valentine's Day, the park holds blind dates for single men and women from Jinan and other places.

Exhibition includes artistic performance, folk handicrafts and local souvenirs, agricultural products, and traditional food and snacks.