Haicheng Holy Spring Temple

Haicheng Holy Spring Temple

Haicheng Holy Spring Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Haicheng Holy Spring Temple is located on Chaoyang Mountain, southeast of Longfengyu Village, Ximu Town, Haicheng City. The temple was first built in the 20th year of the Wanli reign during the Ming Dynasty, boasting a history of 400 years. For four centuries, this sacred temple and the holy spring within it have blessed the land and its people with their innate spirituality and boundless compassion, making it a widely renowned holy spring and temple. However, due to specific historical reasons, this ancient temple, which had carried 400 years of historical civilization, was completely destroyed during the Cultural Revolution.

It was rebuilt in early 2002 and took over four years to complete. The reconstructed Holy Spring Temple largely follows the original site and structure, with a total construction area of approximately 18,000 square meters. Divided by the mountain gate, it consists of an inner courtyard and an outer courtyard. The inner courtyard houses the Heavenly King Hall, Mahavira Hall, Bell Tower, Drum Tower, and East and West Side Halls. The outer courtyard includes a meditation room, dining hall, guest rooms, and a Buddhist scripture and relic distribution center.

The temple is built against the mountain and beside the water, featuring Ming-style architecture that is simple, solemn, and majestic, truly forming a serene and sacred Buddhist site.

Legend of Holy Spring Temple

To the south of Longfengyu Village in Ximu Town, Haicheng, there is a mountain called Chaoyang. Within it lies a spring that neither overflows in summer nor freezes in winter. People may draw from it freely, yet it never dries up or runs out. It gathers blessings and heals the land and its ailments. The locals have all benefited from its grace, hence naming it the Holy Spring. In the 20th year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty, a local virtuous man, moved by the virtue of the spring, built a temple around it, thus establishing the Holy Spring Temple. For 400 years, incense has never ceased, nurturing culture, protecting the people, and bringing peace to the nation—its virtues and merits are boundless. Unfortunately, during the Cultural Revolution, a single fire reduced the temple to ruins, interrupting its incense offerings, and the once-holy spring also lost its source, eventually drying up. The hearts of the villagers became like the spring—bewildered and panicked, as if they were fish stranded in a dried-up rut. Alas, for this temple, and woe for this spring.

Ximu Town: Ximu Town is located 25 kilometers southeast of Haicheng City proper and is a picturesque mountainous ancient town. It covers a total land area of 148.8 square kilometers with a population of 28,000. Municipal-affiliated institutions such as the Haicheng City Seed Company Ximu Branch and the Haicheng City Ximu Central Supply and Marketing Cooperative are located within Ximu. The geographical environment of Ximu Town is described as “seven parts mountain, one part water, and two parts field.” Surrounded by mountains with a basin in the center, three rivers from Gushan, Chagou, and Jiewen converge within the town to form the upper reaches of the Haicheng River. The land in Ximu Town is fertile and rich in resources, producing local specialties such as tussah silk, apples, and Nanguo pears.

… More detailed information about Ximu Town++