Hua Fo means “changing into Buddha”. Located in Mouding County in Chuxiong Prefecture, Huafo Mountain is one of the famous mountains for Buddhists congregation in central Yunnan.

Huafo Mountain is one of the famous mountains with Buddhists congregation in the midst of Yunnan. The scenic area includes the Huafo Mountain, Qingfeng Reservoir, Tuanjieba Orchard, and the total area is 30 square kilometer. The mountain stands there like a powerful lion, facing the east, striding forward with his chin up. That is the why the mountain is named after lion.

Up in the mountain, visitors can enjoy themselves in the forest of nature. Bamboos and plants of various shapes can be seen here and there; winding paths lead you up the hill and there are streams going down from the mountain top. Temples and pagodas are seen from a distance up in the mountain too.   
In the northeast scenic area£º There are a lot of temples in the area, including the Jiaye Temple, the White Clouds Valley, the Snow Mountain Temple, and so on. Other spots are the Ancient Flower Garden, the Wulong Pool and the Xianxing Forest.

In the middle of the scenic area£º In this area, visitor may have a good view of the plants and flowers in the mountain. Scenic spots include the Nine-fold Spring, the Dantan Forest, the Pagoda Groups, Qingding Temple, Baohua Forest, Raoding Temple, Yuangong Nunnery, Hill of Indian azalea, and Hill of Cherry. The oldest camellia here in the mountain is about 200 years of age, which is still in good blossom every year.

In the southwest of the scenic area£º In this part of the scenic area, visitor may focus the attention on different shapes of rocks and stones. Up on the cliff, visitors may have the feeling of standing in the fairy land.

The first temple on the mountain is Baiyunwo Temple which was built in 1577 in the Ming Dynasty. Till the latter Qing Dynasty, people had built 13 temples where hundreds of monks live in. Owing to the rich cultural and natural scenery, it was listed as the Place of Tourist Interests at the provincial level in 1993.

There are 22 scenic spots of which the names reflect deep Buddhism influence, carrying rich religious significance. At the foot of the mountain, better tourist facilities have been built recently to meet the demands of increasing tourists.

Accommodation: Mouding Hotel (two star), Gonghe Building

Tips:
1."Huafo" means "evolving into Buddha" in Chinese. On January 1st of each year, religious people of young and old put on their best clothes, climb up the mountain to the temple to burn joss sticks and worship the god they believe in, praying for good fortune in the following year. 2.Recommended time for a visit:4 hours