Shenggui Mountain

Shenggui Mountain

Shenggui Mountain (Hugong Rock)

Shenggui Mountain is located in the northern part of Yaocheng. Originally called Sacred Turtle Mountain, it was renamed after General Liu Laozhi stationed his troops here following the suppression of Sun En’s rebellion in the second year of the Long’an era during the Eastern Jin Dynasty (398). Due to its homophonic resemblance, it came to be known as Shenggui Mountain.

The stone of Shenggui Mountain is of excellent quality, hard and fine-grained. Since the Song and Yuan dynasties, local residents have quarried stone from the mountain, damaging its natural appearance. Successive dynasties repeatedly banned the quarrying, but to no avail. In the 27th year of the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty (1548), Hu Zongxian, then serving as magistrate of Yuyao, donated his salary to purchase the mountain and return it to public ownership, thereby putting an end to the destructive stone quarrying. Ten years later, Hu Zongxian was transferred to become the Governor-General of Zhejiang. At that time, pirate raids were frequent, and Hu Zongxian fought against the Wokou along the southeastern coast, traveling back and forth to Yuyao multiple times and stationing troops within Shenggui Mountain. To commemorate Hu Zongxian's achievements during his tenure in Yuyao and his military exploits against the pirates, locals carved a statue of Hu Zongxian wearing official attire on the southern slope of the mountain in the 40th year of the Jiajing era (1561), naming it “Hugong Rock.” Since then, rock carving flourished for more than 390 years, forming a rare group of cliff carvings in Zhejiang Province. Surrounding Hugong Rock are various Buddha statues, including the Maitreya Buddha with a bare belly laughing heartily, and the whimsical statue of the Mad Monk Ji Gong holding a broken banana leaf fan. Above Hugong Rock is the statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva, sitting cross-legged on a lotus throne, beneath which are the surging waves of the South Sea with giant turtles swimming. On the eastern side stands a statue of Sakyamuni Buddha with bare red feet on a precious lotus platform, along with several stern-looking arhat statues, each about 5 meters tall. These sculptures are vividly shaped, with diverse postures and ingenious craftsmanship, demonstrating exceptional artistry.

Shenggui Mountain originally had the Temple of General Liu, dedicated to the Eastern Jin Dynasty general Liu Laozhi. By the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty, the Fuchu Academy was built in front of the temple. In the early Wanli era, a monk converted the temple into the Lingyan Chan Monastery, commonly known as the Shenggui Mountain Temple. In recent years, it has been renovated and renamed the Lingyan Chan Temple.

Location

Shenggui Mountain, Chengbei Township, Yuyao City, Zhejiang Province