Baoguo Temple

The basics

A visit to Baoguo Temple is well worth it. You can hire a guide or go by yourself—it’s relatively easy to get to from Emeishan City. When you arrive at the temple, wander through the different halls and gardens, watching the monks go about their daily affairs and offering prayers. You can offer prayers yourself and light some incense if you like.

You can also plan your visit around meal times; three vegan meals are served each day, which are hearty and reasonably priced. It’s also possible to stay overnight in simple accommodations at the temple.

Things to know before you go

• Note that the site has no Wi-Fi.

• There’s a natural hot spring not far from the temple, which also offers accommodations.

• If you have a meal here, make sure you eat all of it, as waste is a sign of disrespect.

How to get there

It’s easy to hop on a bus from Emeishan City to Baoguo Temple. To get to Emeishan City from Chengdu, you can take a high-speed train for about 90 minutes, or a bus for about 2.5 hours. Tours with included transportation take any hassle out of getting to the temple, but once you get to Emeishan City, it’s pretty straightforward.

When to get there

Visit Baoguo Temple in either the spring or fall, when the temperatures are most pleasant. Summer can get quite hot, humid, and sticky, and winter is bitterly cold. Tours visiting Baoguo Temple often spend time in Chengdu, and exploring the city is best around April or September/October. Avoid touring most places in China around national holidays, when residents take vacation.

Emeishan Monkeys

If you’re visiting Baoguo Temple, you’ll probably also be visiting nearby Emeishan. While this is a sacred mountain, don’t expect all the creatures to abide by peaceful Buddhist principles. The monkeys who live here are aggressive, not afraid of humans, and know how to sift through backpacks and open the tops of water bottles. Rest easy, though, as there are police keeping watch on the monkeys, on patrol all over the mountain.