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Tiantai Mountain
 Tiantai Mountain (also Tí Taî in the local language) is a mountain in Tiantai County, Taizhou, Zhejiang Province, China.[2] Its highest peak, Huading, reaches a height of 1,138 meters (3,734 ft).[2] The mountain was made a national park on 1 August 1988.[citation needed] One of nine remaining wild populations of Seven-Son Flower (Heptacodium miconioides) is located on mount Tiantai.[3] LegendsIn the mythology of Traditional Chinese religion, the creator goddess Nüwa cut the legs off a giant sea turtle (Chinese: 鳌; pinyin: áo) and used them to prop up the sky after Gong Gong damaged Mount Buzhou, which had previously supported the heavens.[4] A local myth holds that Tiantai was on the turtle's back before and Nüwa relocated it to its current position when she had to remove the turtle's legs.[citation needed] Guoqing TempleGuoqing Temple on the mountain is the headquarters of Tiantai Buddhism,[5] and also a tourist destination. Tiantai, named for the mountain, is an East Asian Buddhist school of Mahāyāna Buddhism that developed in 6th-century China and focuses on the Lotus Sutra.[5] The most prominent teacher of that school, Zhiyi, was based at Guoqing Temple.[5] Over many years it has been an important destination for pilgrims, especially from Japan. The mountain was visited by Saichō in 805 CE, who went on to found the related Japanese Buddhist school, Tendai. A Korean offshoot, the Cheontae school, was also established during the 12th century. Ji Gong TempleThe mountain has a famous temple to the Song-era Chinese Buddhist monk Ji Gong at the Cave of Auspicious Mists that was associated with early modern fuji or "spirit writing" movements.[6] Scenic AreaTiantai Mountain was designated a scenic area in 1985, with an area of 105 km2.[1] TransportReferences
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