Baohua Mountain is about 30 kilometers away from Jurong City in the south, Zhenjiang City in the east and Nanjing City in the west. With an altitude of 437.2 meters, it is named after Baozhi monk, the prototype of Jigong, who is the founder of Longchang Temple on the mountain. Longchang Temple is the main scenic spot in the scenic area. It was built in the first year of Tianjian in the Southern Liang Dynasty (502 AD). Its three precept platforms are very famous. It is currently a large precept transmission site in China. Monks obtain the precept certificate of Longchang Temple. Baohua Mountain has two gates, the north gate and the south gate. Generally, people enter the scenic area from the north gate, because buses pass through the north gate and National Highway 312 is also located in the north. There is a mountain winding road. It is recommended to drive by yourself, which is more convenient than taking a bus. When driving into the scenic area and buying tickets, you also need to buy parking tickets. Small vehicles (with fewer than 15 seats) cost 10 yuan per vehicle, and large vehicles cost 15 yuan per vehicle. Tourists who do not drive by themselves can take the sightseeing bus in the scenic area. One-way fare is 10 yuan. Or they can walk. It takes about 30-40 minutes to walk from the foot of the mountain to Longchang Temple. After seeing Beiquan Lake and the coal cave ‘General Cave’ dug by General Xu Shiyou, a founding general, at the north gate in turn, you will come to the climbing trail ‘Emperor Qianlong’s Imperial Road’. Tourists who walk go up the mountain by steps from here. If tourists who drive by themselves come in April, it is also recommended to park their cars on the roadside, walk a section of the trail and then return to the parking place to see the ‘Baohua Magnolia’, a species three million years ago on the mountainside. The flowers are as big as lotus, as white as snow, and the base is purplish red. When you arrive at the ‘Source of Qinhuai River’, you can also stop. Climb a few steps to the top of the mountain and overlook the vast mountain scenery. Note that the ‘Source of Qinhuai River’ here is just a sign to tell tourists that Baohua Mountain is the source of Qinhuai River, not that you can see the source of Qinhuai River here. If you start from Nanjing, Zhenjiang and other places in the morning, it is generally nearly noon when you arrive at Longchang Temple on the mountain. You can first solve the lunch problem by eating vegetarian food at Baoyuezhai at the gate of the temple. Vegetarian noodles are recommended. The reference price is 20 yuan. Then visit Longchang Temple. The gate of the temple faces north and has Huizhou architectural style. One of the things worth seeing is the white marble precept platform of the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty. Since the Qing Dynasty, hundreds of thousands of monks have received precepts on it. The second is the five large pots for thousands of people built in the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty. The third is the copper hall and beamless hall built in 1605 AD. Caves such as Wulong Cave on the mountain can only be ‘looked at’ at the cave entrance. Only experienced outdoor teams equipped with searchlights, ropes and other cave exploration equipment can go down into the cave to see. It is a stalactite cave. There are other scenic spots on the mountain, such as mountain turtles listening to sutras, group tombs of eminent monks, and Tianlongfudi Square. Every October, generally around October 8th – October 18th, Longchang Temple holds three precept platforms, accepting both male and female believers. Tourists can watch, but they need to respect Buddhist etiquette and do not make loud noises or point fingers.
In late April each year, Baohua Mountain hosts the Pao Mountain Festival, featuring various activities such as camping, hiking, and kite flying.
Within the Baohua Mountain scenic area, there is the One Mountain International Resort on the southern side of the mountain, and Baohua Mountain Villa outside the North Gate, both of which offer accommodation. It is also possible to stay in Baohua Town, but it is preferable to return to Zhenjiang or Nanjing for more options in terms of dining, entertainment, and lodging. The park is open all year round from 08:30 to 21:00, with ticket sales ending at 20:30 at the North Gate entrance and 16:30 at the South Gate and One Mountain entrance. Preferential policies include free entry for children under 1.4 meters (inclusive) and seniors aged 70 and above (inclusive). Seniors aged 60 to 69 (inclusive) with a senior citizen card or ID card receive discounted tickets. Full-time primary, middle, and high school students can purchase discounted tickets with a valid student ID. Local residents of Baohua Town, tour guides, journalists, Buddhists, disabled individuals, preferential care recipients from Jiangsu Province, and individuals who have received national awards for blood donation, stem cell donation, and lifelong honorary volunteer service in blood donation are exempt from ticket fees with valid identification. Service facilities include a parking lot at the North Gate of Baohua Mountain National Forest Park, with a reference price of 10 yuan per day, located about 1 km from the ticket office, with 100 parking spots available. Large vehicles cost 10 yuan all day, and small vehicles cost 5 yuan all day. Wi-Fi is available with the account name ‘qianhuagucun’ and no password required, covering the entire scenic area. Guided tours are provided at the ticket office with a fee of 60 yuan per site for groups of up to 50 people. Transportation within the park has a reference price of 10 yuan for a one-way trip and 20 yuan for a round trip (same price for adults and children, no need for vouchers or deposits, payment can be made on site). The route is from Qianhua Ancient Village North Gate to Dingshaidi to Longchang Temple, and children must be accompanied by adults. There are approximately 20 restrooms within the scenic area, all with clear signs. There are over 300 small and large merchants within the scenic area, some accepting Alipay and others accepting WeChat Pay.
