Daci Temple and the Tomb of Chancellor Shi

Daci Temple and the Tomb of Chancellor Shi

Daci Temple and the Tomb of Chancellor Shi is a cultural tourism site.

On the eastern shore of Dongqian Lake, Fuiquan Mountain rises majestically, stretching for dozens of miles, with Daci Mountain standing abruptly to the west. Between them lies Xiashui’ao, where Shi Miyuan, Chancellor of the Southern Song Dynasty, buried his beloved mother—hence the name "Daci Mountain." At the foot of the mountain lies Daci Temple, originally a family monastery of the Shi clan. Later, Shi Miyuan was also buried to the right of the temple. His descendants built a hundred-zhang-long artificial ridge, covered with layered peaks and shaded by pine and camphor trees, surrounded by mountains on all sides with a small stream flowing in front—a scene of breathtaking beauty that resembles a fairyland, making it a renowned tourist attraction on the eastern shore of Dongqian Lake.

Daci Temple was built in the 20th year of the Shaoxing era of the Song Dynasty (1150 AD). It was originally a large-scale monastery housing over a hundred monks at its peak, and was one of the most renowned Buddhist temples in eastern Zhejiang. Later, it was designated as a merit monastery by the Shi family, and Emperor Ningzong of the Southern Song specially bestowed upon it the plaque inscribed with "Teaching Loyalty and Serving the Country Monastery." The eminent monk Wuxin Zonggao’s dharma descendant, Master Wuchu Daguan, once served as the abbot of Daci Temple, leading to a flourishing of Buddhist activities. The Japanese monk Hanshan Yiguan, who came to China for Buddhist studies, once meditated here and, captivated by the landscape, later founded Dapiao Mountain Daci Temple (located in Noda Town, Kumamoto City, Japan) in commemoration of his connection with Daci Temple. The Shi Miyuan family, devout Buddhists, successively constructed other temples on Daci Mountain, including Baohua Temple, Wukong Temple, and Miaozhi Temple. Legend has it that to cater to Empress Yang of Emperor Lizong’s court, who visited the area for summer retreats, Shi Miyuan specially built a series of imperial lodges such as Taiqing Palace, Zhen De Guan, and Wu Zhen Guan. He also constructed Guanyi Hetou, an official post station for receiving imperial boats, bringing great prestige to the area. However, with the fall of the Southern Song Dynasty, the Shi family gradually declined. By the Ming and Qing dynasties, most of these temples had fallen into ruin.

Currently, only the mountain gate and the main hall of Daci Temple remain, faintly preserving their original appearance. The existing main hall is a five-bay hip-and-gable roof structure, 12.15 meters deep and 11.10 meters wide. The outer eaves feature rolled-canopy roofs supported by bracket sets between beams. The interior columns are spindle-shaped, resting on round drum-shaped bases atop inverted basins—an architectural style characteristic of Ming Dynasty wooden structures. The mountain gate has three bays, with a pair of stone drums in front, accessed by stepping up via stone stairs. Originally, there were seven stone pagodas in front of the temple, each about 3 zhang (approx. 10 meters) tall, with unique and exquisite carvings unmatched by other famous temples in the region. Locals praised them, saying, “All the pagodas of Tiantong are no match for a single pagoda of Dasi Temple.” In front of the pagodas was the Wan Gong Pond, beside which two large stone turtles once lay facing each other.

A few hundred steps north of Daci Temple lies the tomb path of Chancellor Shi Miyuan of the Southern Song Dynasty, situated right in the middle of a mountain hollow. The mausoleum was built by piling earth and stones, rising dozens of ren (approx. 30–40 meters) high, extending thousands of steps around, connecting with the surrounding hillsides and standing prominent like a hill. The tomb was originally encircled by a stone wall topped with tubular tiles, some of which can still be faintly identified. The area is shaded by lush bamboo and camphor and pine trees. Stone statues of officials (wenchang) and animals line both sides of the sacred path, which ascends along the mountain steps for about a li (approx. 500 meters). At the center stands a memorial pavilion, a five-bay hip-and-gable roof structure supported by stone pillars. In front of the pavilion are two ancient ginkgo trees, each with a trunk diameter of several people’s embrace—they are century-old trees that had long dried up but surprisingly sprouted new life in 1993, their branches thriving and reaching toward the sky. At the front end of the sacred path lies an arched stone bridge, with trickling water and clinging vines. In front of the bridge once stood a stone memorial archway and a stele marking the sacred path. The entire tomb path was once grand and imposing, but after eight hundred years of weathering, nearly half of the surface relics have been destroyed or buried underground. A local legend tells the story of "Chancellor Shi Building His Tomb for Longevity": One year, Shi Miyuan invited a geomancer who identified the "Eight Auspicious and Six Supreme Sites" of Ayuwang Temple as ideal for a tomb. The abbot of Ayuwang Temple, feeling powerless against Shi’s influence, could not stop him. But a young novice monk named Wu Zhun rushed overnight to the capital Lin’an (modern-day Hangzhou), plastering the streets with flyers that read: “A precious land of Ayuwang emits imperial aura; why does the chancellor build a tomb here?” The news reached the imperial palace, prompting the emperor to investigate. Fearful of punishment and potential annihilation of his clan, Shi Miyuan lied to the emperor, “Your Majesty, my tomb has already been chosen on the northern side of Daci Mountain at Dongqian Lake—please investigate, Your Majesty.” He quickly began constructing his tomb at Daci Temple, and the matter was thus settled.

Daci Mountain, an extension of Fuiquan Mountain, features undulating peaks, dense forests, and secluded rocks, forming a natural botanical garden. The mountain is surrounded by scenic spots such as the "Morning Bell of Shanglin," the Temple of Wang Anshi, the tomb paths of Shi Zhao and Shi Jian, as well as ancient kiln sites like Yao’ao and Daozi Mountain. It is a picturesque destination for history enthusiasts, nature lovers, and travelers alike.