Longtan Mountain City Scenic Area

Longtan Mountain City Scenic Area

Longtan Mountain City Scenic Area

Qiding Longtan Mountain City is situated in the northern part of Weiyuanbao Town, Kaiyuan City. It was built during the middle period of the Goguryeo Kingdom and boasts a history of more than 1,500 years. The Longtan Temple within the mountain city is a famous Buddhist site in Northeast China. First established in the early Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty (1736) by Master Yanzhi from Wutai Mountain in Shanxi, it has a history of nearly 300 years and is also one of the first temples to be restored and reopened after the reform and opening-up period. The Longtan Temple Fair has a history of over 200 years and continues to thrive annually, having been recognized as an intangible cultural heritage project of Tieling City. Longtan Mountain City is covered in lush forests and boasts beautiful scenery. Seven peaks encircle the area like a ring, sheltering the Longtan Temple within the city, along with a sacred spring and two spring-fed pools. Hence, the temple is named Qiding Longtan Temple (Seven Tripods Longtan Temple). Both the mountain city and the temple are now provincial-level cultural relics protection units and provincial forest parks.

There are three wonders within Longtan Temple: Two connected pools exist within the temple — one produces lotus roots while the other produces water chestnuts. Though the waters of the two pools seem to embrace, the plants cannot survive if moved to the other pool; within Longtan itself lies a well, whose water level remains over one meter higher than that of the adjacent pools regardless of drought or flood; the “Couple Trees” — a pine and a cypress growing side by side in front of the Sangharama Hall. As the saying goes, pine and cypress do not grow together in a grove, yet these two trees have leaned on each other for over 400 years at Longtan Temple, making it a rare sight.