China
Anhui
3 sites
Mt. Huang Shan
Mt. Huang Shan is a site of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 30.13780, 118.16520. Located in 黄山区, 安徽省, China.
Mt. Jiuhua Shan
Mt. Jiuhua Shan is a site of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 30.46393, 117.82442. Located in 池州市, 安徽省, China.
Mt. Qi Yun Shan
Mt. Qi Yun Shan is a site of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 29.81715, 118.04219. Located in 黄山市, 安徽省, China.
Fujian
4 sites
Guang Hua Temple
Fo Guang Shan Nan Hua Temple (佛光山南華寺, Fóguāngshān Nanhua Si) is the largest Buddhist temple and seminary in Africa, and is situated in the Cultura Park suburb of Bronkhorstspruit, South Africa. It is the African headquarters of the Fo Guang Shan (Buddha's Light Mountain) Order, covering over 600 acres (2.4 km2). Fo Guang Shan was established in 1967 by Venerable Master Hsing Yun, and is a Mahayana Chinese Buddhism monastic order. The Temple, like its mother order in Taiwan, follows the Linji Chan school of Buddhism as well as the Pure Land School.
Meizhou Mazu Temple, Meizhou Island
Meizhou Mazu Temple, Meizhou Island, China is a site of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 25.09052, 119.14482. Located in 湄洲镇, 福建省, China.
Mt. Gu Shan
Mt. Gu Shan is a site of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 26.05292, 119.37815. Located in 福州市, 福建省, China.
Mt. Wu Yi Shan
Mt. Wu Yi Shan is a site of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 27.71712, 117.68299. Located in 武夷山市, 福建省, China.
Gansu
1 site
Mt. Mai Ji Shan
Mt. Mai Ji Shan is a site of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 34.34866, 106.00991. Located in 麦积镇, 甘肃省, China.
Guangdong Province
2 sites
Mt. Dinghushan
Mt. Dinghushan is a site of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 23.16403, 112.54841. Located in 鼎湖区, 广东省, China.
Mt. Luo Fu Shan
Mt. Luo Fu Shan is a site of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 23.30024, 113.99913. Located in 惠州市, 广东省, China.
Guizhou
2 sites
Fanjingshan mountain and temple
Fanjingshan mountain and temple, Tongren is a mountain and temple of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 27.92028, 108.69028. Attributes: built, natural, cultural, pilgrimage. Tradition: Buddhism. Associated figure: Buddha. Mythological context: Buddhist mythology. Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Located in 贵州省, China.
Mt. Fanjing, Guizhou
Mt. Fanjing, Guizhou, China is a site of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 27.92028, 108.69028. Located in 贵州省, China.
Henan
2 sites
Longmen Grottoes
The Longmen Grottoes (simplified Chinese: 龙门石窟; traditional Chinese: 龍門石窟; pinyin: Lóngmén Shíkū; lit. 'Dragon's Gate Grottoes') or Longmen Caves are some of the finest examples of Chinese Buddhist art. Housing tens of thousands of statues of Shakyamuni Buddha and his disciples, they are located 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) south of present-day Luoyang in Henan province, China. The images, many once painted, were carved as outside rock reliefs and inside artificial caves excavated from the limestone cliffs of the Xiangshan (香山) and Longmenshan, running east and west. The Yi River (Chinese: 伊河) flows northward between them and the area used to be called Yique (伊阙; 'The Gate of the Yi River'). The alternative name of "Dragon's Gate Grottoes" derives from the resemblance of the two hills that check the flow of the Yi River to the typical "Chinese gate towers" that once marked the entrance to Luoyang from the south. There are as many as 100,000 statues within the 2,345 caves, ranging from 1 inch (25 mm) to 57 feet (17 m) in height. The area also contains nearly 2,500 stelae and inscriptions, hence the name "Forest of Ancient Stelae", as well as over sixty Buddhist pagodas. Situated in a scenic natural environment, the caves were dug from a 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) stretch of cliff running along both banks of the river. 30% date from the Northern Wei and 60% from the Tang dynasty, caves from other periods accounting for less than 10% of the total. Starting with the Northern Wei dynasty in 493 AD, patrons and donors included emperors, Wu Zetian, members of the royal family, other rich families, generals, and religious groups. In 2000 the site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List as "an outstanding manifestation of human artistic creativity," for its perfection of an art form, and for its encapsulation of the cultural sophistication of Tang China.
Mt. Song Shan
Mt. Song Shan is a site of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 34.52084, 113.00357. Located in 郑州市, 河南省, China.
Hubei
1 site
Mt. Wu Tang Shan
Mt. Wu Tang Shan is a site of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 32.39852, 111.01029. Located in 湖北省, China.
Hunan
1 site
Mt. Heng Shan Nan
Mt. Heng Shan Nan is a site of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 27.27752, 112.64557. Located in 衡阳市, 湖南省, China.
Jiangsu
1 site
Mt. Mao Shan
Mt. Mao Shan, Jiangsu is a site of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 31.78448, 119.31883. Located in 金坛区, 江苏省, China.
Jiangxi
3 sites
Lushan Mountain
Lushan Mountain is a mountain of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 29.57926, 115.99425. Attributes: natural. Located in 庐山市, 江西省, China.
Mt. Long Hu Shan
Mt. Long Hu Shan is a site of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 28.06804, 116.99797. Located in 上清镇, 江西省, China.
Mt. San Qing Shan
Mt. San Qing Shan is a site of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 28.90721, 118.06732. Located in 三清乡, 江西省, China.
Jilin
1 site
Haven Lake and Changbai (Paektu) Mountain
Paektu Mountain, North Korea is a site of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 41.99301, 128.07748. Located in 삼지연시, 량강도, 조선민주주의인민공화국.
Liaoning
1 site
Mt. Qian Shan
Mt. Qian Shan, Liaoning is a site of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 41.02639, 123.13611. Located in 温泉街道, 辽宁省, China.
Qinghai
1 site
Mt. Amnye Machen
Mt. Amnye Machen is a site of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 34.79834, 99.46251. Located in 玛沁县 རྨ་ཆེན་རྫོང།, 青海省, China.
Shaanxi
2 sites
Mt. Hua Shan
Mt. Hua Shan is a site of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 34.48499, 110.08222. Located in 华阴市, 陕西省, China.
Zhongnan-shan
Zhongnan-shan is a site of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 33.93333, 109.01667. Located in 长安区, 陕西省, China.
Shandong
2 sites
Mt. Lao Shan
Mt. Lao Shan is a site of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 36.10654, 120.47058. Located in 崂山区, 山东省, China.
Mt. Tai Shan
Mt. Tai Shan is a site of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 36.25580, 117.10560. Located in 泰山区, 山东省, China.
Shanxi
3 sites
Beiyue Hengshan Mountain
Beiyue Hengshan Mountain is a mountain of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 39.65709, 113.72627. Attributes: natural, cultural, pilgrimage. Tradition: Taoism. Located in 浑源县, 山西省, China.
Mt. Wu Tai Shan
Mt. Wu Tai Shan is a site of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 39.02992, 113.56271. Located in 山西省, China.
Yungang Grottoes
The Yungang Grottoes (Chinese: 云冈石窟; pinyin: Yúngāng shíkū), formerly the Wuzhoushan Grottoes (Chinese: 武州山 / 武周山; pinyin: Wǔzhōushān), are ancient Chinese Buddhist temple grottoes built during the Northern Wei dynasty near the city of Datong, then called Pingcheng, in the province of Shanxi. They are excellent examples of rock-cut architecture and one of the three most famous ancient Buddhist sculptural sites of China. The others are Longmen and Mogao. The site is located about 16 km west of the city of Datong, in the valley of the Shi Li river at the base of the Wuzhou Shan mountains. They are an outstanding example of the Chinese stone carvings from the 5th and 6th centuries. There are 53 major caves, along with 51,000 niches housing the same number of Buddha statues. Additionally, there are around 1,100 minor caves. A Ming dynasty-era fort is still located on top of the cliff housing the Yungang Grottoes. The grottoes were excavated in the south face of a sandstone cliff about 2,600 feet long and 30 to 60 feet high. In 2001, the Yungang Grottoes were made a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Yungang Grottoes are considered by UNESCO to be a "masterpiece of early Chinese Buddhist cave art... [and] ...represent the successful fusion of Buddhist religious symbolic art from south and central Asia with Chinese cultural traditions, starting in the 5th century CE under Imperial auspices." It is classified as a AAAAA scenic area by the China National Tourism Administration.
Sichuan
4 sites
Leshan Giant Buddha
For ninety years, three generations of craftsmen carved Maitreya Buddha into the cliffs where three rivers meet at Leshan. The monk Haitong believed a colossal image of the future Buddha could calm the treacherous currents that had claimed countless lives. He gouged out his own eyes to prove his sincerity. When the Buddha was completed in 803 CE, the waters did grow safer. Locals still call him Buddha Grandpa, their guardian watching over the city.
Mount Gongga
Mount Gongga (simplified Chinese: 贡嘎山; traditional Chinese: 貢嘎山; pinyin: Gònggá Shān), also known as Minya Konka (Khams Tibetan: མི་ཉག་གངས་དཀར་རི་བོ་, Khams Tibetan pinyin: Mi'nyâg Gong'ga Riwo) and colloquially as "The King of Sichuan Mountains", is the highest mountain in Sichuan province, China. It has an elevation of 7,509 m (24,636 ft) above sea level, as surveyed by the Ministry of Natural Resources in November 2023. This makes it the third highest peak in the world outside of the Himalaya/Karakoram range, after Tirich Mir and Kongur Tagh, and the easternmost and most isolated 7,000-metre (23,000 ft) peak in the world. It is situated in the Daxue Shan mountain range, between Dadu River and Yalong River, and is part of the Hengduan mountainous region. From it comes the Hailuogou glacier. The peak has large vertical relief over the deep nearby gorges.
Mt. Emei Shan
Mt. Emei Shan is a site of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 29.52463, 103.33715. Located in 四川省, China.
Qingchengshan
Qingchengshan is a site of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 30.89747, 103.57240. Located in 都江堰市, 四川省, China.
Tibet
20 sites
Drak Yerpa
Drak Yerpa is a hermitage of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 29.74284, 91.28027. Attributes: natural, cultural, pilgrimage. Tradition: Buddhist. Associated figure: Milarepa. Mythological context: Buddhist mythology. Located in 拉萨市 ལྷ་ས་གྲོང་ཁྱེར།, 西藏自治区 བོད་རང་སྐྱོང་ལྗོངས།, China.
Ganden Monastery
Ganden Monastery (also Gaden or Gandain) or Ganden Namgyeling or Monastery of Gahlden is one of the "great three" Gelug university monasteries located in Dagzê County, Lhasa, Tibet. The other two are Sera Monastery and Drepung Monastery. Ganden Monastery was founded in 1409 by Je Tsongkhapa Lozang-dragpa, founder of the Gelug order. The monastery was destroyed after 1959, but has since been partially rebuilt. Another monastery with the same name and tradition was established in Southern India in 1966 by Tibetan exiles.
Gyantse
Gyantse, officially Gyangzê Town (also spelled Gyangtse; Tibetan: རྒྱལ་རྩེ, Wylie: rgyal rtse, ZYPY: Gyangzê; simplified Chinese: 江孜镇; traditional Chinese: 江孜鎮; pinyin: Jiāngzī Zhèn), is a town located in Gyantse County, Shigatse Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. It was historically considered the third largest and most prominent town in Tibet (after Lhasa and Shigatse), but there are now at least ten larger Tibetan cities.
Jokhang Temple
Jokhang Temple is a temple of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 29.65025, 91.13382. Attributes: built, cultural, pilgrimage. Tradition: Tibetan Buddhism. Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Located in 城关区 ཁྲིན་ཀོན་ཆུས།, 西藏自治区 བོད་རང་སྐྱོང་ལྗོངས།, China.
Lake Lhamo Latso
Lake Lhamo Latso is a lake of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 29.51798, 92.73354. Attributes: natural, cultural, pilgrimage, ceremonial. Tradition: Buddhism. Associated figure: Dalai Lama. Mythological context: Tibetan Buddhism. Located in 崔久乡, 西藏自治区 བོད་རང་སྐྱོང་ལྗོངས།, China.
Lake Nam Tso
Lake Nam Tso is a lake of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 30.69461, 90.52734. Attributes: natural. Located in 班戈县 དཔལ་མགོན་རྫོང།, 西藏自治区 བོད་རང་སྐྱོང་ལྗོངས།, China.
Lake Yamzho Yumco
Lake Yamzho Yumco is a lake of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 29.00078, 90.66648. Attributes: natural. Located in 阿扎乡, 西藏自治区 བོད་རང་སྐྱོང་ལྗོངས།, China.
Lapchi
Lapchi is a monastery of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 28.22455, 86.80023. Attributes: built, cultural, pilgrimage. Tradition: Buddhist. Associated figure: Milarepa. Mythological context: Buddhist. Located in 定日县 དིང་རི་རྫོང།, 西藏自治区 བོད་རང་སྐྱོང་ལྗོངས།, China.
Mt. Kailash
Mt. Kailash is a site of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 31.06750, 81.31194. Located in 巴嘎镇, 西藏自治区 བོད་རང་སྐྱོང་ལྗོངས།, China.
Mt. Meili Xue
Mt. Meili Xue is a site of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 28.43987, 98.68452. Located in 左贡县 མཛོ་སྒང་རྫོང།, 西藏自治区 བོད་རང་སྐྱོང་ལྗོངས།, China.
Mt. Targo and Lake Dangra
Mt. Targo and Lake Dangra is a site of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 30.99999, 86.63310. Located in 达果乡, 西藏自治区 བོད་རང་སྐྱོང་ལྗོངས།, China.
Potala Palace
Potala Palace (Tibetan: པོ་ཏ་ལ་ཕོ་བྲང Chinese: 布达拉宫) is the name of a museum in Tibet Autonomous Region of China, previously a palace of the Tibetan sovereign, the Dalai Lama, in the dzong-style, in Lhasa, capital of Tibet. It was the winter palace of the Dalai Lamas from 1649. In 1959 the Tibetan government ceased inhabitation when the buildings were seized by the People's Republic of China. The palace is named after Mount Potalaka, which within Buddhist thought is the mythical abode of the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara. The 5th Dalai Lama made decree for its construction in 1645 with advice of Konchog Chophel the Thirty-Fifth Ganden Tripa of the monastical tradition of Tsongkhapa. The Potala is on ruins of the White or Red Palace, built by decree of Songtsen Gampo in 637. Built at an altitude of 3,700metres, on the side of Ri Marpo ('Red Mountain') in the centre of Lhasa Valley, the building measures 400m east-west and 350m north-south, with sloping stone walls averaging 3m thick, and 5m thick at the base, and with copper poured into the foundations to help proof it against earthquakes. The Potala is thirteen storeys of buildings which contain over 1,000 rooms, 10,000 shrines and about 200,000 statues. The building height is 119m on Marpo Ri, and more than 300m in total above the valley floor.
Sakya
The Sakya (Tibetan: ས་སྐྱ་, Wylie: sa skya, 'pale earth') school is one of four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, the others being the Nyingma, Kagyu, and Gelug. It is one of the Red Hat Orders along with the Nyingma and Kagyu.
Samye
Samye (Tibetan: བསམ་ཡས་, Wylie: bsam yas, Chinese: 桑耶寺), full name Samye Mighur Lhundrub Tsula Khang (Wylie: Bsam yas mi ’gyur lhun grub gtsug lag khang) and Shrine of Unchanging Spontaneous Presence, is the first Tibetan Buddhist and Nyingma monastery built in Tibet, during the reign of King Trisong Deutsen. Shantarakshita began construction around 763, and Tibetan Vajrayana founder Guru Padmasambhava tamed the local spirits for its completion in 779. The first Tibetan monks were ordained there. Samye was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution then rebuilt after 1988. Samye Monastery is located in the Chimpu valley (Mchims phu), south of Lhasa, next the Hapori mountain, in the Yarlung Valley. The site is in the present administrative region of Gra Nang or Drananga Lhoka.
Shigatse
Shigatse, officially known as Xigazê (Tibetan: གཞིས་ཀ་རྩེ་, Wylie: gzhis ka rtse, ZYPY: xigazê) or Rikaze (Chinese: 日喀则; pinyin: Rìkāzé), is a prefecture-level city of the Tibet Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. Its area of jurisdiction, with an area of 182,000 km2 (70,271 sq mi), corresponds to the historical Ü-Tsang region of Tibet.
Tashilhunpo
Tashilhunpo is a site of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 29.26658, 88.87089. Located in 城西街道, 西藏自治区 བོད་རང་སྐྱོང་ལྗོངས།, China.
Tirthapuri
Tirthapuri is a site of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 31.35129, 80.70831. Located in 门士乡, 西藏自治区 བོད་རང་སྐྱོང་ལྗོངས།, China.
Toling
Toling is a site of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 31.48424, 79.79902. Located in 札达县 རྩ་མདའ་རྫོང་།, 西藏自治区 བོད་རང་སྐྱོང་ལྗོངས།, China.
Tsalung & Drakar Taso
Tsalung & Drakar Taso is a site of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 28.78330, 85.28348. Located in 吉隆县 སྐྱིད་གྲོང་རྫོང།, 西藏自治区 བོད་རང་སྐྱོང་ལྗོངས།, China.
Yarlung Valley
The Yarlung Valley is formed by Yarlung Chu, a tributary of the Tsangpo River in the Shannan Prefecture in the Tibet autonomous region of China. It refers especially to the district where Yarlung Chu joins with the Chongye River, and broadens out into a large plain about 2 km wide, before it flows into the Tsangpo River. It is situated in Nedong District of the Shannan Prefecture and includes the capital of the prefecture, Tsetang, one of Tibet's largest cities, 183 km southeast of Lhasa. It was originally well-forested and suitable for agriculture. The Tsetang district is famous for its apples and pears. The Yarlung and the adjoining Chongye Valley formed the original seat of the Yarlung dynasty of Tibetan kings and controlled important ancient trade routes into India and Bhutan. The first Tibetan Emperor, Songtsen Gampo (605 or 617? - 649), moved the capital to Lhasa after greatly expanding his territories and power.
Xinjiang
1 site
Shrine of Seven Sleepers, Tuyugou
Shrine of Seven Sleepers, Tuyugou, Turpan, Xinjiang, China is a site of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 42.85954, 89.69001. Located in 新疆维吾尔自治区 شىنجاڭ ئۇيغۇر ئاپتونوم رايونی, China.
Zhejiang
2 sites
Mt. Pu Tuo Shan
Mt. Pu Tuo Shan is a site of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 29.98494, 122.38594. Located in 普陀区, 浙江省, China.
Mt. Tiantai Shan
Mt. Tiantai Shan is a site of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 29.15000, 121.04268. Located in 天台县, 浙江省, China.