Nanjing Youqi Temple

Nanjing Youqi Temple

Nanjing Youqi Temple is a cultural heritage site protected by Nanjing Municipality.

Nanjing Youqi Temple

Nanjing Youqi Temple is an early and well-known temple among the “Four Hundred and Eighty Temples of the Southern Dynasties,” boasting a history of over 1,500 years. It was first built in the third year of the Daming era (459 AD) during the Liu Song Dynasty of the Southern Dynasties, located at the southern foot of Zutang Mountain in the southern suburbs of Nanjing, facing Hongjue Temple from afar.

Youqi Temple enjoys a tranquil setting, surrounded by bamboo forests and pine waves. Being there instantly dispels worldly worries and stirs boundless contemplation. Li Jian, the founding emperor of the Southern Tang Dynasty, often visited the mountain for leisure despite his busy state affairs. Emperor Li Jing also made multiple pilgrimages here to pray, while Emperor Li Yu later carried out large-scale construction, building a thousand temple halls. During the Zhili era (1064–1067) of the Southern Song Dynasty, the temple’s original name, Youqi Temple, was restored.

Zutang Mountain is seemingly connected yet distinct from Niushou Mountain, featuring undulating peaks covered in lush greenery. Its main peak is as sharp as a lotus bud, towering into the clouds. The southern foothills are covered by vast bamboo forests and ancient towering trees; the mountain was originally named Youqi Mountain. In the third year of the Daming era (459 AD) during the Liu Song Dynasty of the Southern Dynasties, a temple was built here and named after the mountain, thus called Youqi Temple. During the Zhenguan era (627–649 AD) of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, the eminent monk Master Fayan practiced in a cave on the northern cliff of this mountain, receiving the direct mind-seal teachings from the Fourth Patriarch of Chan Buddhism, Daoxin, and founding a branch of Chan Buddhism known as the “Niutou School,” earning him the title of “First Patriarch of the Southern School.” Youqi Temple became the birthplace of the Niutou School, also referred to as the “Jiangbiao Niutou,” and was honored as the Ancestral Hall of the Southern School, leading to its renaming as Zutang Temple. Consequently, Youqi Mountain was also renamed Zutang Mountain. By the Guangqi era (885–888 AD) of the late Tang Dynasty, the temple had fallen into disuse.

The temple was built along the mountain, with a grand scale. From the mountain foot to the temple gate lies a long, ancient path lined with towering trees whose dense foliage blocks out the sun. The halls, pavilions, and monks’ quarters are scattered in a well-arranged manner. According to the "Records of Buddhist Monasteries in Jinling," during the Ming Dynasty, the main structures of Zutang Temple included the Diamond Hall, Heavenly King Hall, Buddha Hall, Thousand Buddha Hall, Guanyin Hall, Avatamsaka Hall, and Water-Land Hall. Except for the three-bay Guanyin Hall, all other halls had five bays each. There was also a three-story meditation hall with fifteen bays, a two-story dining hall with ten bays, as well as a five-bay kitchen, storeroom, and tea house. The temple grounds covered over 240 acres, with over 500 acres of fields, mountains, and ponds. During the Ming Dynasty, Youqi Temple also oversaw several smaller nearby temples. In front of the temple, there was also a beamless hall, along with corridors and a bridgeway.

Throughout history, many literati and scholars have enjoyed visiting Zutang Mountain, Youqi Temple, and Xianhua Rock, leaving behind numerous poems.

Yin Mai’s poem describes his experience of staying overnight at Youqi Temple, reading Buddhist scriptures, and expressing deep reverence for Master Fayan, the First Patriarch of Chan Buddhism in Nanjing. The poem reads:

Youqi Temple has long been in ruins. Currently, only the site remains, along with structures such as the Patriarch’s Cave, Silver Ingot Bridge, Crescent Moon Pond, and a well. There is also a Ming Dynasty bronze bell, now housed in the Jiangning District Museum.

Zutang Mountain is lush with pines and cypresses, vast with bamboo forests, and dotted with murmuring springs and hidden temples, offering a serene and beautiful landscape. At the mountaintop stands Furong Peak, with overlapping green ridges towering into the sky like a pure lotus standing upright. The mountain features attractions such as Gongbei Peak, Tianpan Ridge, Fuhu Cave, ShenShe Cave, Taibai Spring, Changgeng Pool, and Baijing Platform. Literati and scholars throughout the ages have frequented these spots, leaving many poetic inscriptions. The presence of Youqi Temple adds even more charm to the area.