Sanshan Religious Culture Park

Sanshan Religious Culture Park

Sanshan Religious Culture Park is a national AA-level tourist attraction.

The Taoist architectural complex of Sanshan is distributed at the foot, mid-slopes, and summit of Sanshan Mountain in Fanjia Township, Suizhong County. Sanshan Mountain is located at the junction of Fanjia Township and Weiqian Town in the central part of the Suizhong region, 32 kilometers west of Suizhong County. It is part of the Yan Mountain range, with its main peak rising 710 meters above sea level, and is named for its three parallel summits. In ancient times, Sanshan was called Sanzhou Mountain, and during the 1930s and 1940s, it was also known as "Dongqi Mountain." The three peaks rise proudly and stand majestically, with the Shihé and Gǒu rivers flowing on the north and south sides respectively. The Liaodong Border Wall from the Ming Dynasty crosses its southeastern side, leaving behind multiple ruins of wall platforms and camps. Sanshan is the guardian mountain of Suizhong and also a famous peak in western Liaoning. "The Three Mountains Towering" was ranked first among the Eight Scenic Spots of Qiantun Wei during the Ming Dynasty and has been the subject of poems by generations of poets. For example, “Their wondrous shapes stand like tripods against the blue sky, while lotus-like beauty opens the purple extremity” (from the poem “Eight Scenic Spots of Qiantun Wei” by Ye Yingcong of the Ming Dynasty), and “Tripods in a row along the cliffs, as if split by a giant in primordial times” (from the poem “Climbing Sanshan” by Chen Demao of the Qing Dynasty), are both widely circulated verses. At the southern foot of Sanshan lies the Maitreya Temple, which was already a popular Buddhist site during the Jin Dynasty (equivalent to the Southern Song Dynasty in central China), as evidenced by unearthed fragmentary steles. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the Quanzhen sect of Taoism spread to the region and chose Sanshan as a blessed land, establishing religious sites. From the Qing Dynasty to the Republican era, famous Taoist priests such as Zhang (given name Jian), Chen (nicknamed Chen Balengzi), Sun (name unknown), and Shi (byname Xi) practiced here. Currently, there remains a Liumi Tower, a patio, and multiple ruins including Lingyun Pavilion, Yuantong Temple, Maitreya Temple, and Pujitang. Yuantong Temple is built along the mountain terrain, facing northeast and situated southwest, featuring a main hall of five bays and side halls of three bays each, all with flush gable roofs and green tiles. The main hall enshrines Guan Yu, Yue Fei, Wen Tianxiang, as well as Guanyin Bodhisattva and Lüzu, while the side halls are dedicated to the Three Ladies of Heaven and the Thunder God and Lightning Goddess. A plaque hanging in the main hall bears the inscription “Qiánkūn Zhèngqì” (Heavenly and Earthly Righteous Qi), written by the renowned Tianjin calligrapher Li Youbai. Lingyun Pavilion enshrines Zhang Jian and the Black and White Snake Immortals. Legend has it that Zhang Jian was the first Taoist priest on Sanshan to attain enlightenment and ascend to heaven, while the Black and White Snake Immortals are the mountain deities of Sanshan. The plaque above the gate of Lingyun Pavilion, inscribed with the characters “Língyún Gé” (Cloud-Reaching Pavilion), was written by Deng Shuzi, a local scholar. The Liumi Tower was built in 1939 at the summit of Sanshan’s main peak. It is designed as a six-sided, three-story, single-eave, six-ridged spire roof structure, with the second and third stories gradually stepping inward. Cement-made, wood-imitating brackets project from the eaves, supported underneath by beams, pillars, and lintels, with balustrades connecting the pillars to form a corridor-style eave. Viewed from the facade, the first floor has four pillars and three bays per side, the second floor three pillars and two bays per side, and the top floor two pillars and one bay per side.