Dawn Bell at Cloud Spring

Dawn Bell at Cloud Spring

The Cloud Spring Temple is composed of the Mahavira Hall, Huaguang Shrine, Guanyin Pavilion, and the bell and drum towers, covering an area of over three acres with a built-up area of more than 1,600 square meters. Its origins remain a mystery. It is said that the temple was first initiated during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties by Wu Maoxiu. On the beam of the Bodhisattva Hall to the right of the Mahavira Hall, there is also an inscription reading “built in the 17th year of the Shunzhi reign (1660),” which coincides with the time when Wu Maoxiu returned to his hometown after being defeated in battle. However, the iron bell currently housed in the temple bears the casting date “the 32nd year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty” (1604), half a century earlier than the Shunzhi date. Furthermore, according to the Wu Family Genealogy of Jushui Village, Wu Yanyue, the ninth-generation descendant of the Wu clan (born around 1205), is recorded as having “donated fields at Luoling East Yuanwei and entered the Cloud Spring Temple to become a monk, taking the Dharma name Rushan.” Therefore, if the “Cloud Spring Temple” mentioned in the genealogy refers to this very temple, then its history spans over seven hundred years. Since then, it has undergone multiple renovations and expansions, gradually growing in scale and enriching in content. By the eve of the liberation, it had become the grandest, most majestic, and best-preserved major temple in the eastern part of our county.

Upon entering the mountain gate of the Cloud Spring Temple, you are greeted by the bold characters “Amidst White Clouds” on the white-plastered wall—creating a poetic scene reminiscent of “the mountain gate left unbarred, awaiting the clouds to drift in.” The main gate of the hall faces a covered corridor, behind which lies a garden filled with flowers and trees. Passing through the garden, you arrive at the front entrance of the Mahavira Hall. Guardian deities stand on both sides, clad in helmets and armor, wielding weapons, and glaring fiercely—imposing and majestic. In front of the main hall sits the ever-smiling Maitreya Buddha, while behind the hall is a courtyard. To the right is a flower stand with a single snowball bush; when in bloom, it resembles auspicious snow weighing down the branches. To the left is the Zhenwu Hall, and to the right is the Guo Gong Hall. The main hall stands at the front, measuring 12 meters in width and 13 meters in depth, with a grand and solemn statue of the “Three Ages of Tathagata” seated on the Buddhist pedestal. The left and right walls feature the Eighteen Arhats and the Twenty-Four Devas. On either side of the main hall are two-story wing rooms, each consisting of three connected sections across two levels, serving as living quarters for monks, nuns, and worshippers. Adjacent to the left wing room is the Thousand-Armed Guanyin Hall, in front of which stands a large osmanthus tree, lush and flourishing, blooming twice a year. A poem praises it: “In February, I stroll to the western garden with my cane, the fragrance of osmanthus greets me as I seek its source. Looking up, I chase the wind to this ancient temple, where the sweet scent of osmanthus wafts from Cloud Spring (by Wu Yi).” “Osmanthus usually blooms in golden autumn, yet Cloud Spring offers its fragrance in February. It’s not that the osmanthus has bloomed out of season—it foretells great fortune returning to Jushui (by Wu Qingsheng).” To the left of the Guanyin Pavilion stands a towering three-story tower-like bell and drum structure—the renowned scenic spot “Dawn Bell at Cloud Spring.” It is said that when the morning bell rang in those days, its loud chimes could be heard more than ten li away. Crystal-clear and sweet spring water flows from Yinping Peak past the temple’s mountain gate. A small stream seeps through a hidden cave, passing behind the Mahavira Hall and emerging in front of the kitchen, then gushing forth from beneath the release pond in front of the Huaguang Hall—adding to the temple’s natural charm. Adjacent to the Guo Gong Hall are two side doors leading to the Huaguang Hall, where statues of the Five Manifested Deities are enshrined. In front of the hall is a stage, a fishpond, and corridors. In the past, an annual grand festival for the Deities was held, featuring performances by invited theater troupes. It is said that this uniquely designed layout was conceived by Wu Maoxiu together with the Yongli Emperor of the Southern Ming, who retreated to Fuzhou after their defeat, following advice from the abbot of Fuzhou’s Drum Mountain Temple.

For centuries, the Cloud Spring Temple has attracted countless poets, scholars, and artists seeking inspiration. The outer corridors of the temple, the surrounding walls of the garden, and the walls, beams, and pillars of the Deity Hall all feature their poems, calligraphy, paintings, and couplets—unfortunately, many were severely damaged during the Cultural Revolution. In 1990, during the restoration of the Cloud Spring Temple, a single surviving carved couplet plaque was discovered, inscribed with: “Clouds in flight take on colors, a long-lasting painting”—yet the lower line is missing. Analysis suggests this may have been the upper line of the original left mountain gate couplet. People have marveled at the seemingly simple yet profoundly meaningful ancient verse “Clouds in flight take on colors, a long-lasting painting,” which not only depicts the scenery before one’s eyes but also embodies Buddhist philosophy. Regrettably, the lower line has been lost. In the first half of 1991, Mr. Wu Meigen wrote to the “Couplets” magazine in Taiyuan, Shanxi, appealing to couplet enthusiasts nationwide to help complete the missing line. From over 400 submissions, he selected “Moonlight reflects without intent, an eternal spring overflow” as the lower line. However, the author feels that “Spring wells silently upwell, forever embodying Zen” might be better—thus, taking the first character of each line forms the word “Cloud Spring” in a crane-top poetic style.