Should we, or should we not, ascend Jiuhua Shan to pay homage at a Buddhist shrine? Tough decision. After all, we’re from Nanjing and therefore know a thing or two about climbing hundreds of steps to see a dead fella.
我们应该还是不应该登上九华山向佛教神社致敬？ 艰难的决定。 毕竟，我们来自南京，因此知道一两件关于爬几百级台阶去看死人的事情。
But it turned out the dead fella was in fact a woman. And she was also the first female Buddha in all of China, no less.
但事实证明，那个死去的家伙实际上是个女人。 她也是全中國第一位女佛。
But we are getting ahead of ourselves. Before ascending anything, one first has to get to Chizhou. And that’s a piece of cake; an hour and a bit from Nanjing South Railway Station into southern Anhui Province. Oh yes, we are now in the vicinity of Yellow Mountain.
但我们领先于自己。 在攀登任何东西之前，首先必须到达池州。 这是小菜一碟；从南京南站到安徽省南部一个多小时。 哦，是的，我们现在在黄山附近。
After arriving in Chizhou, you will first notice how relaxed you feel. And there’s a good reason for that; the excellent air quality that makes Chizhou top for atmosphere quality in Anhui Province.
到达赤洲后，你首先会注意到你是多么的放松。 這是有充分理由的；優越的空氣品質使池州在安徽省大氣品質方面名列前茅。
Then there is the Negative Oxygen Ion content that is 35 times higher than fresh air standards defined by the World Health Organisation. Negative ions are believed to produce biochemical reactions that increase levels of serotonin, helping to alleviate depression, relieve stress and boost our daytime energy.
然后是负氧离子含量，比世界卫生组织定义的新鲜空气标准高35倍。 負離子被認為會產生生化反應，從而增加血清素水準，有助於緩解抑鬱症、緩解壓力和提升我們的白天能量。
In short, the air in Chizhou makes people feel magical.
简而言之，赤洲的空气让人感到神奇。
It’s green too. In Chizhou, there are 17.5 square metres of green space for every citizen, or space enough to park two cars. Such a high proportion of green also gives rise to the freshest local produce around.
它也是绿色的。 在赤州，每个市民有17.5平方米的绿地，或者足够停放两辆车。 如此高比例的绿色也催生了周围最新鲜的当地产品。
And nature’s abundant bounty does not end there. Those in the construction industry will be interested to know that around Chizhou are 100 million tons in reserves of calcite, essential for the marble in many of today’s greatest buildings.
大自然的丰富赏金并没有止止。 建筑行业的人会有兴趣知道，赤州周围有1亿吨方解石储量，这对当今许多最伟大的建筑的大理石至关重要。
Such diversions aside, people more than anything come to Chizhou as the stopping off point on their way to surely the top stop on an essential tour that is Jiuhua Shan, one of the four sacred mountains of Chinese buddhism and one of the first batch of 5A level scenic spots.
撇开这些分心不谈，人们首先来到赤州，作为前往九花山的重要旅游的中途停留点，九花山是中国佛教四座圣山之一，也是第一批5A级景点之一。
Here, the breathtaking scenery is also home to some of the oldest temples around; Huacheng Temple, which dates back more than 1,500 years (and where the incense is the finest we have ever sniffed); and Tonghui Temple, resting place of Abbess Renyi.
在这里，令人叹为观止的风景也是周围一些最古老的寺庙的所在地；华城寺，可以追溯到1500多年前（那里的香是我们闻过的最好的）；以及通汇寺，仁义修道院院长的安息之地。
Born in 1911 in Shenyang, today the capital of Liaoning Province, real-name, Jiang Sumin, devoted herself to Daoism after becoming a monk in 1940.
1911年出生于沈阳，今辽宁省会，本名江素敏，1940年成为僧侣后致力于道教。
In somewhat of a contradiction, when the Korean War broke out, she served with the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army and was stationed in North Korea in 1951.
矛盾的是，当朝鲜战争爆发时，她在中国人民志愿军服役，并于1951年驻扎在朝鲜。
Later in life, regardless of age, Renyi travelled extensively to practice medicine, build temples, do good deeds and make friends. When back on Jiuhua Shan, she taught people tirelessly, until passing away at the age of 85.
晚年，无论年龄大小，仁义都广泛旅行，行医、建寺庙、做善事和交朋友。 回到九华山后，她孜孜不倦地教导人们，直到85岁去世。
And that’s when things get really interesting. Or rather, they would, some 3 years and 2 months later. For 2 January, 1999, was to go down in history. On that day, the temple’s abbot and master bhiksuni, Si Shang, was to uncover a world first.
就在那时，事情变得非常有趣。 或者更确切地说，他们会，大约3年零2个月后。 1999年1月2日，将载入史册。 那天，寺庙的住持和比克苏尼大师思尚将首先揭开一个世界。
Si carefully opened the vat with Renyi inside. He found her sitting upright. Her hair had grown more than an inch. Her teeth were intact, her nails long, the pores of her skin clear and her body still flexible.
Si小心翼翼地打开了Renyi的桶。 他发现她坐直了。 她的头发长了一英寸多。 她的牙齿完好无损，指甲很长，皮肤毛孔清晰，身体仍然灵活。
Removing the shroud, Si then found the kicker. There was no trace of female characteristics. Her breasts had disappeared, her chest was flat, and her lower body was long and seamless.
取下裹尸布后，Si找到了踢球者。 没有女性特征的痕迹。 她的乳房消失了，她的胸部是平坦的，她的下半身又长又无缝。
In death, this ordinary bhikkhu had become a Bodhisattva. And there is no other record of such an occurrence anywhere else on Earth.
在死亡中，這位普通的比丘變成了菩薩。 地球上其他地方没有其他关于此类事件的记录。
Renyi remains enshrined there today, in gold. And it’s humbling to behold her.
Renyi今天仍然被金子封在那里。 看到她是谦卑的。
The Nanjinger made its trip up Jiuhua Shan on an ordinary weekday morning. By 9am, there were already long queues of cars awaiting opening time, when they would (very, very) slowly begin to snake their way up the mountain. Take our word for it; getting there early and being at the head of the queue is the only way.
南京人在一個平凡的工作日早晨前往九花山。 到了上午9点，已经排起了长队等待开放时间的汽车，那时它们会（非常非常）慢慢地开始蜿蜒上山。 相信我們的話；早到那裡，排在隊伍的前面是唯一的方法。
