Ciqing Temple

Ciqing Temple

Ciqing Temple is a cultural relic protection unit of Liaoning Province.

The ancient Ciqing Temple is located atop the northern peak of Longshou Mountain. It was originally named Xiufeng Temple and Shuichao Temple, and is also known as Sanqing Taoist Temple. The temple is a simple, traditional courtyard-style building that includes a main hall, east and west side halls, a scripture depository, and the Zuigong Tower. In front of the courtyard are two stele pavilions: Banqiang and Suyun. The main hall is three bays wide and two bays deep, with a corridor under the eaves and vibrant colored paintings on the horizontal beams. Inside the hall are three Buddha statues, including Sakyamuni, along with clay sculptures of the Eight Great Guardians. The Zuigong Tower was originally the mountain gate but was rebuilt in 1921 as a two-story wooden building with a flush gable roof. The first floor serves as the entrance and exit to the temple, while the second floor was once a place where literati drank tea and composed poetry. It has now been converted into a VIP lounge, housing numerous calligraphy and paintings inscribed by notable figures about Longshou Mountain.

The Xiufeng Temple Pagoda is located about 100 meters south of Ciqing Temple. It is an octagonal, nine-story, solid brick pagoda with a dense-eave design, also built during the Hongzhi era of the Ming Dynasty and renovated in 1591. The pagoda body features brick carvings of Buddhas and niches. To the north of the Xiufeng Temple Pagoda is the Taoran Pavilion, to the south is the Dicui Pavilion, and further south of Dicui Pavilion is the Kuixing Tower. To the east of the Xiufeng Temple Pagoda is a small stone pavilion containing a stone stele that records the history of the pagoda’s renovation. Ciqing Temple was listed as a cultural relic protection unit of Liaoning Province in 1988.

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Liaoning Province