Cuiyan Mountain Temple

Cuiyan Mountain Temple

Cuiyan Mountain Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Near the Jinzhou-Chaoyang Highway, about 35 li (approximately 17.5 km) northwest of Jinzhou, there lies a majestic yet elegant range of mountains — the renowned Cuiyan Mountain. With an elevation of 210.4 meters, its peaks pierce the clouds and its cliffs are as sheer as if carved. The mountaintop is covered in moss, and the rocks take on a brownish-green hue. In summer and autumn, when the moss is thick and the hills lush and green, the scenery is like a painting. The mountain derives its name from this appearance. It has long been one of the scenic highlights of the Wendi Lou Manchu Ethnic Township.

As early as the Han Dynasty, monks built a temple at the eastern foot of the mountain. It was renovated through the Tang and Song dynasties. During the Zhengtong era of the Ming Dynasty, its name was changed from Qingsheng Temple to Cuiyan Mountain Temple. In the 12th year of the Chenghua reign (1476), Shakun, the abbot of Cuiyan Mountain Temple, invited the famed calligrapher and military commander Wang Kai to inscribe the four large characters “Cuiyan Mountain Temple” (each character seven chi square) on the cliff face, along with relief carvings of four Buddha statues — traces of which can still be faintly seen today.

Two well-preserved stone steles remain at Cuiyan Mountain Temple: one erected in the 36th year of the Qianlong reign, the other in the 8th year of the Jiaqing reign, both with clearly legible inscriptions. On the inner walls of the left and right sides of the main hall of the Jade Emperor Pavilion, there are also two well-preserved steles recording the construction of the pavilion, with clear and intact lettering.

Cuiyan Mountain, a national AAA-level scenic area, was originally called Cuoya Mountain. It earned the local nickname “Yaba Stone Mountain” because of two small peaks flanking the main peak, resembling the shape of a fork (yaba). The rocks of Cuiyan Mountain are brownish-green, and in summer and autumn, when the hills are covered in thick moss and appear lush and emerald, the scenery is picturesque.

Due to Cuiyan Mountain’s serene, open, and beautiful landscape, it has long drawn the attention of practitioners seeking spiritual cultivation, making it an ideal site for monks and Taoists to build temples and engage in secluded practice. As early as the Han Dynasty, monks built a temple at the eastern foot of the mountain, but it was destroyed multiple times in wars. During the Tang and Song periods, the temple was renovated and flourished with continuous incense offerings. By the early years of Emperor Daozong of Liao, however, years of warfare left the temple in disrepair and ruin. In the 10th year of the Dagang reign of Emperor Daozong (1084), Master Zhixun from the Daguangji Temple in Jinzhou rebuilt the temple complex at the foot of the mountain, naming it Qingjing Temple — later known as Cuiyan Mountain Temple.

Address: Cuiyan Town, Linghai City, Jinzhou