Weiba Mountain Fortress

Weiba Mountain Fortress

Weiba Mountain Fortress is a national key cultural relic protection unit.

Known as the "Foremost Temple in Southern Liaoning," Weiba Mountain Fortress, commonly called Wugu City, is a key provincial-level cultural relic protection unit in Liaoning. Nestled deep within the serene valleys of Putaogou Village, Xingtai Town, Pulandian District, Dalian, it lies 50 kilometers from Pulandian District and 129 kilometers from downtown Dalian.

The Qingquan Temple is located on the mountainside within the southeast mountain valley of Wugu City. Viewed from above, the ancient temple, set against a black-and-white backdrop, appears as a fresh and elegant ink painting amid undulating green hills and swaying tree shadows. The architecture of Qingquan Temple is not ostentatious but embraces simplicity and authenticity—grand yet unadorned, sturdy yet exquisite. The temple faces the east gate of the mountain fortress and backs onto a natural rock cave, constructed along the mountain’s slope. Thirty-three stone steps lead up to the main gate, where a white marble snow-reflecting stone screen carved with dragons and phoenixes amid swirling clouds greets visitors. The stone screen’s pillars are adorned with carvings of nine dragons playing with a pearl, seemingly soaring through the clouds, while the back features five phoenixes facing the rising sun, evoking images of surging clouds and water. The front and back of the screen are inscribed with 66 poems praising the “Buddha’s visage,” commemorating “Wugu’s Tomb,” expressing gratitude, and extolling the temple. The carvings are exquisitely detailed, with neat regular script.

The fortress spans over ten li, with its east and west gates being particularly magnificent. Ascending the steps from the gate leads to the temple’s front plaza, where the full layout of the three-tiered pavilions and six halls built along the mountain slope comes into view. The central front hall is the Mahavira Hall, flanked by the Medicine King Hall on the left and the Sangharama Hall on the right; the middle row consists of the Jade Emperor Hall and the Laozi Hall; the rear row houses the Queen Mother of the West Hall. The entire architectural complex is compactly arranged across a drop of over 70 meters. The clay statues inside the halls are vibrantly painted and gilded, resplendent in gold and color, while the walls are covered in murals depicting myths, legends, and historical tales.

In the corridor connecting the Mahavira Hall of Qingquan Temple to the Jade Emperor Pavilion and Laozi Pavilion, a large red cement-made five-pointed star stands out prominently on the stone wall. Legend has it that during the Liberation War, a group of wounded PLA soldiers was pursued by the Kuomintang army to Weiba Mountain Fortress. Just as the soldiers were cornered, a thick fog suddenly enveloped the area, leaving only a narrow path wide enough for one person to escape. The soldiers made it out safely. After the liberation, when these soldiers returned to the temple to pay their respects, they commissioned the carving of this large five-pointed star on the stone wall to commemorate the event. This may be why the temple remained intact during the Cultural Revolution.

It is said that the fortune sticks at Qingquan Temple are very accurate. As explained by the abbot: “The Buddha sees cause and effect; though you may move about, his all-seeing eyes span the globe, rescuing the suffering and understanding the people’s hearts.” While this is a Buddhist interpretation, it is the temple’s emphasis on kindness and compassion that keeps its incense burning and its devotees coming.

The fourth day of the fourth lunar month is "Bathing the Buddha Festival," also known as the Wugu City Temple Fair. The fair begins on this "main day" and continues until the fourteenth. During the fair, the area is packed with people and bustling with traffic. Along the five-li-long mountain valley road, vehicles of all sizes line up, and both inside tents and outside vehicles are filled with a dazzling array of goods. Acrobatics, circus acts, and various professional and amateur performance troupes gather to showcase their talents. Folk artisans skilled in making clay figurines and paper-cutting display their craftsmanship. The temple fair attracts an average of fifty to sixty thousand visitors daily.

From afar, Wugu City appears tranquil, mysterious, and natural. There is the lush, layered Weiba Mountain Fortress, the sweet and inexhaustible spring water, the breathtaking mountain scenery, the authentic remnants of the ancient Great Wall, uniquely styled residential villages, the simple and honest local customs, and the enduring legacy of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism that have influenced China for millennia. In the winter of 1961, Tian Han, then chairman of the Chinese Dramatists Association, visited Pukou Town in Pulandian to gather historical materials on the First Sino-Japanese War. After touring the Qingquan Temple in Weiba Mountain Fortress, he remarked, “This is a little Mount Emei—China’s three major religions are all represented here.” In 1982, the renowned Chinese essayist Liu Baiyu, along with an archaeologist, visited and described the Qingquan Temple in Weiba Mountain Fortress as “priceless.”

Qingquan Temple is one of the best-preserved ancient temple masterpieces from Northeast China and the history of China. Like a long and profound history, it is mysterious and deep, concealing countless ancient and lonely stories while embodying the wisdom and strength of ancient culture, shining with the brilliance of civilization.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relic Protection Units