Main Peak of Siming Mountain. Hongfo Temple Scenic Area

Main Peak of Siming Mountain. Hongfo Temple Scenic Area

The Main Peak of Siming Mountain and Hongfo Temple Scenic Area is a national AA-level tourist attraction and a cultural tourism site.

Hongfo Temple is located at the northern part of Huangze Town, Shengzhou City, Zhejiang Province, beneath the main peak of Siming Mountain. It is an ancient temple nestled deep in the mountains, originally built in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties.

“Majestic cliffs stand tall against the sky, more towering than any house; exquisitely carved windows let in the bright April light.” These lines from the Tang Dynasty poet Liu Changqing’s poem about his journey to Shanjian capture the essence of the famed stone abodes in the Siming Mountain area, none more renowned than the Stone House Chan Monastery, now known as Hongfo Temple. Behind the temple lies a cave called the “Great Stone House,” surrounded by attractions such as General Rock, White Dragon Pool, Dragon-Phoenix Pool, and natural stone pagodas, all forming a uniquely spectacular landscape. The “Great Stone House” is truly one of the most spiritually enchanting and mystical spots of the grand Siming Mountains…

Starting from downtown Shengzhou City, take the road through the Chengdong Economic Development Zone, then transfer to the suburban bus line leading to Jiaqing Village (Shengzhou Bus Terminal routes 2-15), and continue along the mountain access road to Huafeng Village at the foot of Siming Mountain. A path of stone steps leads all the way up to Hongfo Temple. The journey offers unique scenery where streams and paths intertwine, blending landscape with charm. It is a typical deep valley terrain, with Hongfo Temple hidden halfway up the towering and precipitous slopes of Siming Mountain. The temple is situated on the western end of the main peak of Siming Mountain, at an altitude of over 800 meters and about 25 kilometers from downtown Shengzhou. Originally named Stone House Chan Monastery, it is commonly referred to as the Great Stone House. The Qing Dynasty’s Daoguang-era Shengxian County Annals recorded: “Located in the Siming Mountains east of the county, in the eighth year of the Qianlong reign (1744), Monk Hengchuan came from Tiantai and took up residence in the rocky mountains, where he raised funds to build the monastery. It was thus named Stone House Chan Grove, surrounded on three sides by mountains, with thousand-foot-high cliffs, a spiritually steep and serene place. At the front is the First Floor, from where one can look westward over a hundred li, with landscapes, waters, clouds, and scenery shifting through light and shadow in ever-changing, indescribable forms; midway up the mountain is the Heart-Washing Pavilion, built by Zhang Kechang, a supervisor from Shanglin Village. It was destroyed by bandits in the first year of the Tongzhi reign. In the fifth year, Monk Yuezhong built a small five-room building and invited local gentry to solicit donations for its reconstruction. In the ninth year, the main hall was erected.” On the left side of the Great Stone House, about a hundred meters up the cliff face, there is a faintly visible red character “佛” (Buddha) carved into the rock. According to the Republican-era Shengxian County Annals, “This Buddha character is carved on the eastern cliff of the Great Stone House Nunnery in the Lingzhi Golden Region, six feet in size, with no inscribed name.” Due to its historical, artistic, and scientific value, cultural heritage authorities have listed this cliff inscription as a protected cultural relic site. When the chan monastery was first built, it was named Hongfo Temple because of this “Buddha” character. In 1997, it was rebuilt on the original site with funds raised by local people, and the three red characters “Hongfo Temple” were inscribed on a monument.

Address: Jiaqing Village, Huangze Town, Shengzhou City