Cihang Temple

Cihang Temple

Cihang Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Cihang Temple is located four kilometers northeast of the beautiful city of Gaizhou, within Hudoumayu Village in the Dongcheng Administrative District. The temple faces south and was built on a mountainside, backed by the majestic Laoqing Mountain—the highest peak north of Gaizhou—surrounded by hills on the east, west, and north, and overlooking the 120,000-square-meter Hudoumayu Reservoir to the south. With overlapping green peaks, fragrant flowers, and lush grass, the reservoir below shimmers with rippling water and mountain reflections, complemented by verdant orchards all around. Cihang Temple blends harmoniously with the surrounding mountains and waters...

...forming the renowned Cihang Temple Scenic Tourism Area.

Originally known as Cishan Hall, Cihang Temple was first built during the Qing Dynasty, though the exact year is unknown. At that time, it housed a three-bay Guanyin Pavilion, with two side rooms on the east and west serving as scripture storage and donor rooms, respectively. The main hall was situated higher up the mountain, with wing rooms built progressively lower along the slope—three bays each on the east and west—along with the mountain gate. The temple was grand in scale, with incense burning year-round, making it a well-known Buddhist site in Northeast China at the time. Later, it was destroyed in war, fell into disrepair over the years, and eventually collapsed. Today, only an ancient stele remains standing at the original site on the northern foothills of Laoqing Mountain.

The current Cihang Temple was relocated to the southern foothills of Laoqing Mountain and rebuilt in the summer of 1997 by Venerable Master Yuanshan, abbot of Yingkou Lengyan Temple, along with his disciples Mingrui and Zhaojing. It was renamed Cihang Temple. The entire temple complex spans 50 acres, with a construction area of 21,000 square meters. The architectural ensemble fully embodies the aesthetic style of ancient Chinese architecture while incorporating modern design elements. The structure is entirely reinforced concrete, exuding grandeur and exquisite craftsmanship. Centered around a central axis, the layout is symmetrical on both sides, presenting an orderly, well-organized, and hierarchically distinct appearance. The temple can be broadly divided into three sections: the central axis includes the Mountain Gate Hall, Heavenly King Hall, Mahavira Hall, Scripture Hall, Scripture Depository, Great Compassion Pavilion, and Pagoda; the east and west wings feature the Bell and Drum Towers, Hall of Five Hundred Arhats, Ksitigarbha Hall, Medicine Buddha Hall, Sangharama Hall, Residential Building, and Manjusri Hall. Built against the mountain, each level rises higher than the last, with a rigorous and majestic layout that highlights its natural grandeur. The temple complex ranks among the largest in Northeast China.

Cihang Temple currently houses over 40 resident monks and more than 70 lay practitioners. It attracts over 200,000 pilgrims and tourists annually, making it an important religious site in Liaoning Province.