Fengshan Temple

Fengshan Temple

Fengshan Temple is a cultural relic protection unit of Suzhou.

Fengshan Temple is located on Longtou Mountain in the southwestern part of Dongshan. The mountain was originally called Fengshan, but it got its name when a stone dragon head was built on the mountain during the early Ming Dynasty to suppress a monster that was haunting Taihu Lake. The island boasts beautiful scenery and numerous historical sites, including the existing Fengshan Temple, the Twelve Zodiac Stones, the Lu Gong Ancestral Hall, the Snake King Hall, and other Ming and Qing Dynasty structures, as well as ancient relics such as an old artillery battery, a thousand-year-old stone turtle, and the stone dragon head.

Built during the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty and renovated in the Qing Dynasty, the temple consists of a front hall, a rear courtyard, and east and west wing rooms. When Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty visited the area during his southern tour, he inscribed the plaque “Er” (meaning “charm”) in the Moon-Appreciating Tower in the east wing room, indicating that the scenery within the temple was so enchanting that the charm of “wind and moon” was boundless—an inscription that still remains today. The temple gate faces Taihu Lake, with lotus ponds stretching as far as the eye can see. In summer, the lotuses bloom in vibrant competition, their reds and greens reflecting beautifully against the shimmering lake, creating an extraordinarily picturesque scene.