Dongshan District becomes very busy after the Chinese New Year in receiving the Buddha of Huoshan’s Biyun Temple. For this reason, Chinese New Year lasts a very long time for the people of Dongshan District. Buddha is the general name given by the people to Avalokiteśvara. It is said that in 1844, the Biyun Temple of Huoshan was destroyed in the turmoil of war and Dongshan predecessors followed the instructions of the Buddha to enshrine ‘Zhengerma’ in Dongshan. Residents from the 16 villages in Dongshan District and the 4 villages in Baihe District collectively built the ‘Bixuan Temple’ and regarded it as the ‘Home of Buddha.’ Since then, the residents send Buddha to the mountain on each December 23rd according to the Lunar Calendar, in order to spend the Chinese New Year at Biyun Temple. Then, on the 10th of January, after the Chinese New Year, the residents would hold a solemn returning ceremony, the now well-known ’ Dongshan Receiving of the Buddha.
The receiving time starts between 11pm to 2am on the 10th. After midnight and at about 2 to 3a.m., a pleasant mantra recital would come from the main hall of Biyun Temple while five monks of the temple and several believers would carry the mantra and recite the “NamoAmitābha.” The staff would be busy receiving different divinities, spending the night in the mountain, and carrying red belts over their shoulders with inscription of ‘Binyun Temple of Huoshan, Buddha’s shine.’ At about 2a.m. in the early morning and under the guidance of gongs, drums, lion dance parades, and divinities of different villages, the sedan of Buddha slowly takes off and thousands and thousands of incents follow it from the mountain, in the dark. The parade follows the trail in thick smog and passes Liuzhong River, Shimiaozi, Zikeng, Shanziding, and Citongqi to Zhuweizi, arriving at the Zhongzhou situated on plains before noontime. The sedan would then be switched here and proceed to Dongshan City street via Baishui River, and entering the temple in the evening.
For the past few decades, the Dongshan people have walked in the night to receive the Buddha. The entire trail covers 50 kilometers and 13 villages in the mountains, which is unlikely to change in the future because this mountain trail is unsuitable for driving.