Guanyin Pavilion in Jinzhou

Guanyin Pavilion in Jinzhou

Guanyin Pavilion in Jinzhou is a cultural tourism attraction.

Dalian’s Jinzhou Guanyin Pavilion is located on the mountainside of the northern foothills of Dahei Mountain, east of Jinzhou City. It is the oldest surviving temple among the ancient temple complexes of Dahei Mountain.

Guanyin Pavilion is also known as Shengshui Temple. It was first built in the early years of the Hongwu reign during the Ming Dynasty, and was renovated multiple times during the Ming and Qing dynasties, as well as the Republican era. In the 1960s, the Wanghai Tower of the Shengshui Temple complex was razed to the ground, and the sandalwood used in the main hall and meditation rooms was dismantled to build pigsties for production teams. After the 1980s, the government allocated special funds to renovate the temple buildings. The main hall, meditation rooms, mountain gate, and lower courtyard have largely been restored to their original appearance. The temple complex was originally divided into upper and lower sections. The 24 ancient structures of the lower courtyard were arranged in a large quadrangle and were destroyed during the 1960s. A 360-step stone path behind the mountain gate of the lower courtyard leads directly up to the upper courtyard. The upper courtyard is built inside a cave called “Hidden Immortal Cave,” which is tens of meters high and wide. It consists of the main hall, east and west meditation rooms, east and west mountain gates, a south pavilion, a bell tower, and other structures. It earned the name Shengshui Temple (meaning “Temple of Victorious Water”) because there is an ancient well to the left of the main hall, the water of which is clear, sweet, and inexhaustible.

The Guanyin Pavilion Temple Fair is held on the 16th day of the third lunar month. On this day every year, worshippers flock to the fair as if celebrating a festival. At its peak, the fair attracts as many as 50,000 visitors. In the era of a less-developed commodity economy, the temple fair served as a venue for folk trade and a stage for showcasing local customs and culture—a tradition that continues to this day. The upper courtyard of Shengshui Temple, perched precariously with breathtaking views, holds significant value for the study of the political history, religious history, and ancient architecture of Jinzhou and even southern Liaoning.

On July 11, 1985, Guanyin Pavilion was designated as a municipal-level cultural relics protection unit.