Raw data
"The Grottoes on Xumi Mountain are located at the east slope of Xumi Mountain, 55km north-west of Guyuan County, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. […] Originally there were more than 130 grottoes with temples on the ground. However, only 20 well preserved grottoes remain, scattering on the five peaks, called by the locals as the Dafo Lou (Great Building of Buddhism), Zisun Gong (Palace for offspring), Yuanguang Temple, Xiangguo Temple and Taohua Cavern (Peach Blossom Cavern), winding for two kilometers."
http://www.chinaculture.org/library/2008-02/18/content_128196.htm
The Xumishan ("Xumi Mountain") Grottoes lie on the eastern side of Mount Xumi in Guyuan County of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, some 50 kilometers south of the village (county town) of Guyuan and some 300 kilometers south of the city of Yinchuan. There are more than 100 grottoes in the mountain, all of which are collectively called the "Xumishan Grottoes". "Xumi" is the transliteration of a Sanskrit word meaning "treasure mountain" ("shan" itself means "mountain" in Chinese).
[…]
The Xumishan Grottoes date mainly from the Northern (CE 386-588) Dynasties period of the Southern and Northern (CE 386-588) Dynasties era, though further grottoes were added during the course of subsequent dynasties. The locale on the mountain where the first grottoes were chiseled was formerly a giant Buddhist temple (Jingyun Temple) during the Tang (CE 618-907) Dynasty. Decades later, during the first reign (CE 1436-1449) of Emperor Zhengtong of the Ming (CE 1368-1644) Dynasty, the temple was renamed "Yuanguang Temple". There are still grottoes in the Yuanguang Temple area, as well as a number of other grottoes in other areas on the mountain. Yuanguang Temple is one of the more prominent scenic sites within Xumishan Grottoes Scenic Area.
The first grottoes of Mount Xumi were initially chiseled during the middle to late period of the Northern Wei (CE 386-533) Dynasty. […]
The government of China therefore took the decision in 1982 to offer the grottoes of Xumishan official recognition as one of the country's Top-Priority National Protected Historical Sites. In 2008, Xumishan Grottoes was put on the World Monuments Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites (World Monuments Watch is an organ of the NGO, World Monuments Fund).
http://www.chinatravel.com/ningxia/guyuan/attraction/xumishan-grottoes/
"To find the Xumi Shan Caves, travel some 460 kilometers from Yinchuan to Guyuan City, which lies along the Qingshui River in the extreme southern-tip of the Ningxia Region. At a distance of some 50 kilometers North-West from Guyuan, the Caves can be found outside of Huangduobao Village in the vicinity of Sanying Town."
http://www.drben.net/ChinaReport/NingXia_Province/NingXia_Source/NingXia_Province-Landmarks-Monuments.html
Guyuan, China Page
Other names: Ku-yüan,Ku-yuan,Ku-yuan-hsien,Ku-yüan-hsien
World:China:Ningxia Huizu Zizhiqu
Lat 36.0667 Long 106.2808
http://www.fallingrain.com/world/CH/21/Guyuan.html
Huangduobu, China Page
World:China:Ningxia Huizu Zizhiqu
Lat 36.3000 Long 106.0667
http://www.fallingrain.com/world/CH/21/Huangduobu.html
Input by: tmciolek, Jan 5, 2010
Final data (and their sources)
Lat/Long coordinates' accuracy:
The monastery in question is assumed to be situated actually no farther than 200 m from the point defined by the coordinates below.
General location of the Xumishan Grottoes monastery, CN.
Lat 36.27999 Long 105.9868
Mapping & images: Falling Rain Genomics (http://www.fallingrain.com), 2009.
Google Map link:
Final data - explanatory notes
1. Monastery's name
- Xumishan monastery
2. Monastery's modern country & province
- China:Ningxia Huizu Zizhiqu
3. Monastery's alternative/historical names
- Mount Xumi Grottoes - UNESCO (2008)
- 须弥山 - http://www.roughguides.com/website/travel/destination/content/default.aspx?titleid=158&xid=idh3102274616_0980
4. Monastery's lat/long coordinates
- Approx., Lat 36.27999 Long 105.9868 - visual identification on the map in maps.google.com, tmciolek, 5 Jan 2010.
5. Other known nearby Buddhist monasteries
[missing data]
6. Modern name of the known nearest city, town, or village
7. The settlement's alternative/historical names
- Huangduobao Village
8. The settlement's coordinates
- Exactly, Lat 36.3000 Long 106.0667 - http://www.fallingrain.com/world/CH/21/Huangduobu.html
9. Monastery's major Buddhist tradition
- Mahayana
10. Monastery's Buddhist sub-tradition
[missing data]
11. Date-early
12. Date-intermediate
[missing data]
13. Date-late
[missing data]
14. Details of contacts with other monasteries
[missing data]
15. Type of evidence regarding the monastery
[missing data]
16. Additional notes
[missing data] (incl. details of the size of the monastic population)….
17. Corrections & addenda to this page were kindly provided by
[missing data]
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