Tianshui Spicy Hotpot Trip ∣ Xianren Cliff, Time-saving and Practical Guide

👍 Most Recommended: Xianren Cliff, a place that evokes imagination just by hearing its name! Whether it's the mountains, waters, or temples, it's worth a visit. Here is a time-saving and practical guide for everyone, recommended for collection. 🚩 Travel Route! ▶️ A: Shuttle Bus Stop → Xianren Lake → Thousand-Hand Guanyin Hall → South Cliff → (Pass by T-junction, left to West Cliff, right to East Cliff, go to East Cliff first as it's a shorter route) → Arhat Hall → East Cliff → Needle Grinding Hall → Wuliang Hall (Offering Pearl Peak) → Jade Emperor Hall (Sleeping Buddha Cave) → Niangniang Hall → West Cliff → Baogai Peak → Shuttle Bus Stop (gentle ascent, steep descent) ▶️ B: Ascent - West Cliff - East Cliff - South Cliff - Xianren Lake - Descent (steep ascent, gentle descent) ❤️ Suggest choosing A, saves climbing 500 steps, easier ascent. 🌟 Highlights: Xianren Cliff Scenic Area consists of three cliffs (East Cliff, West Cliff, South Cliff), five peaks (Jade Emperor Peak, East Cliff Peak, West Cliff Peak, Baogai Peak, Offering Pearl Peak), six temples (Mulan Temple, Shilian Temple, Tielian Temple, Hualian Temple, Shuilian Temple, Lingying Temple), and Xianren Lake. It preserves 27 Ming and Qing dynasty halls, 54 houses, 197 statues from the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Song, Ming, and Qing dynasties, and 83 square meters of murals. The scenic area is known for its majestic mountains, beautiful waters, steep cliffs, and dense forests, making it a renowned religious 'holy land' combining Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism, historically known as the first paradise in Qinzhou. Among them: 1. South Cliff, also known as Thousand Buddha Cliff, mainly features carved caves. The Rulai Hall and Thousand-Hand Guanyin Hall are built on the cliff. During the Northern Wei period, over a thousand small Buddha niches were carved on the natural cliff wall behind the hall, each containing a small Buddha statue with different expressions, similar to the small thousand Buddhas in Cave 133 of Maijishan Grottoes. Unfortunately, after a cliff fire in 1958, most of the statues were damaged, but some remnants of the hanging Buddha statues still remain. 2. East Cliff has an Arhat Hall built under the cliff, with half of the courtyard covered by the mountain. It houses a large Buddha and eighteen Arhats, dating back to the Ming dynasty. Along the way up, there are seven white towers with elements of Tibetan Buddhism. Further inside, there is a cliff pavilion-style grotto with some small grottoes and Buddha statues, mostly in ruins. The small stairs are steep and challenging to climb. 3. West Cliff, the core of the scenic area, features a suspended rock resembling an upside-down farm sieve, forming a semi-circular natural grotto below, 116 meters long and 20 meters deep at its deepest point. A row of halls is built under the crescent-shaped cliff edge. From west to east, there are Lingying Temple's Dharma Circulation Office, Three Officials Hall, Three Teachings Hall, Cihang Hall, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Hall, Wealth God Hall, Three Pure Ones Hall, Guanyin Hall, Manjushri Hall, Shakyamuni Hall, and Virocana Hall, totaling 14 temples and 36 halls. 4. From Needle Grinding Hall to Jade Emperor Hall, you can see a series of peaks rising from the clouds, known as the 'Eighteen Arhats Worshiping the Jade Emperor' scene. Further down, there is a relatively hidden 'Sleeping Buddha Cave' that many people overlook. The Sleeping Buddha has a peaceful expression, kind face, vivid shape, and lifelike disciples behind him, enhanced by colors. 🎫 Ticket: 40 yuan/person, shuttle bus 10 yuan/round trip (2 km ride, you can also walk if you have time). 🚉 Transportation Guide: Xianren Cliff is in Houchuan Village, Maiji Mountain Town, Tianshui, about 17 km from Maijishan Grottoes. You can take bus routes 34, 37, or 39 from the city center. After visiting Maijishan Grottoes, you can take a minibus to Xianren Cliff from Stop 3, 8 yuan/person. After visiting Xianren Cliff, you can also visit Jingtusi Temple, which is highly recommended! ⏳ Playtime: About 2.5 hours. 🍽 Food Recommendation: There are many farmhouses near Xianren Cliff offering local specialties like Jiangshui noodles, fish, cold noodles, and handmade noodles. 🏨 Accommodation Recommendation: After visiting Maiji Mountain and Xianren Cliff, including Jingtusi Temple, you can return to Tianshui city for accommodation, allowing you to explore Tianshui Ancient City or the night market at night, experiencing the city's charm. Alternatively, you can stay at Maiji Mountain Hot Spring Hotel, enjoy a hot spring bath at night to relieve the day's fatigue, and be fully refreshed the next day!