Sanzu Temple

Sanzu Temple

Sanzu Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

The Sanzu Temple Scenic Area spans a planned area of 7.04 square kilometers and is the most culturally rich section of Tianzhu Mountain. In addition to the world-famous Sanzu Buddhist Temple, the ancestral court of the Zen sect, the area also features the Gushan Flowing Spring Cliff Carvings, a key national cultural relic protection site, and the remains of an altar built by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty for mountain worship. The riverside scenery is beautiful, and a riverside landscape corridor and rafting facilities have been built.

Sanzu Temple, officially known as “Sanzu Gushan Qianyuan Chan Temple,” was the place where the third patriarch of Chinese Zen Buddhism preached and taught, holding a highly significant position in the history of Chinese Buddhism. In 1983, it was approved by the State Council as a key open temple in Han Chinese regions.

The divine landscape of Tianzhu Mountain, along with imperial endorsements through the dynasties, has made it a sacred mountain. According to the Daoist scripture, the God of Life resides on Tianzhu Mountain, which houses his cave palace. The famous mountains under heaven are divided into 36 grotto-heavens and 72 blessed lands, with Tianzhu Mountain ranked as the 14th grotto-heaven and the 57th blessed land. As such, both Buddhism and Daoism throughout the ages have regarded Tianzhu Mountain as a treasure mountain, vying for control over it. On Fengxing Mountain near Sanzu Temple, there are legends of Buddhist-Daoist contests for supremacy.

In 505 AD, Baozhi, the imperial advisor of Emperor Wu of Liang, and Baihedao, a wandering Daoist from southern Jiangnan, both petitioned the emperor to grant them Fengxing Mountain to build temples and spread their teachings. Aware of their formidable magical powers, the emperor decided not to offend either and ordered them to demonstrate their abilities—marking their territory with an object to determine who would stay. Baozhi, a renowned eccentric monk from Dao Lin Temple in Jiankang (now Nanjing) and the folkloric figure of Jigong, held a tin staff and said, “I will mark my territory by planting my staff into the ground.” Baihedao, holding a duster that could transform into a white crane, said, “I will mark mine by where my crane alights.” Baihedao then threw his duster into the air, which turned into a white crane and flew toward Fengxing Mountain. Baozhi responded by casting his staff skyward, where it transformed into a silver dragon that followed the crane. As the crane reached the mountaintop and prepared to land, it spotted the approaching dragon and fled eastward, landing instead on Bailu Ridge. Baozhi’s staff plunged deep into Fengxing Mountain. When he withdrew it, a sweet spring gushed forth—the Zhuozhi Spring (or “Staff-Planted Well”) located behind the temple. Baozhi then established a temple on Fengxing Mountain, which Emperor Wu named “Gushan Temple.” Baihedao built Baihedao Temple on Bailu Ridge, later bestowed by Emperor Huizong of Song with the name “Zhenyuan Wanshou Palace.” During the Tang and Song Dynasties, Buddhism and Daoism flourished on Tianzhu Mountain, with over 100 temples and 3,600 buildings, famously referred to as “3,000 Daoists and 800 monks.” Since Baozhi’s founding, Sanzu Gushan Temple has reached its 1,500th anniversary in 2005.

Gushan Flowing Spring Cliff Carvings

In recent years, to create a premium cultural scenic area, the Tianzhu Mountain Scenic Zone has fully launched the protection project for the Gushan Flowing Spring Cliff Carvings and supporting service facility constructions. Through methods such as fissure grouting, precarious rock support, and anchor rod reinforcement, numerous carvings have been strictly preserved. In April 2009, the Gushan Flowing Spring Cliff Carvings Scenic Area underwent restorative renovations. The riverbed of Gushan Stream, buried during the 1970s "Learn from Dazhai in Agriculture" campaign, was uncovered to restore its historical appearance. Historical and cultural reconstructions were also carried out (such as Huang Tingjian's Study Platform and Li Gonglin’s painting of the Blue Ox), along with the installation of pedestrian walkways and flower gardens. Today, the Gushan Flowing Spring Cliff Carvings welcome visitors from all over with a brand-new look.

Upon entering the valley, you can see two of the ancient “Ten Scenic Spots of Qianyang”: “Stone Ox Ancient Cave” and “Gushan Flowing Spring.” Located in the valley west of Sanzu Temple, a clear spring trickles down the stone walls year-round, its sound melodious and water pure and ever-flowing. Wildflowers and grasses grow along the banks, creating an exceptionally serene environment. Since the Tang and Song Dynasties, it has attracted a continuous stream of visiting officials and literati, who carved inscriptions or composed poems on the cliffs, leaving behind many masterpieces.

The “Gushan Flowing Spring” flows past Stone Ox Cave. Its upper section is called “Chanchan Stream”; the middle section is named “Stone Ox Stream,” flowing beside the Green Ox Rock; the lower section is the actual “Gushan Flowing Spring,” exiting the valley via Xilin Bridge and flowing into Qian River. Along this over 500-meter-long river valley and its surrounding cliffs are more than 300 cliff carvings dating back over 1,200 years to the Tang Dynasty, with over 280 still legible today. These carvings include poetry, prose, inscriptions, and records, in styles such as running, regular, clerical, seal, and cursive scripts. It serves as a natural archive for studying over a millennium of history and a museum for admiring the literary and calligraphic brilliance of masters throughout the ages.

Stone Ox Ancient Cave

The so-called “Stone Ox Ancient Cave” gets its name from a massive rock resembling a reclining ox drinking water and a natural stone imprint that looks like ox hoof prints. “Ancient Cave” refers to the craggy stone cliffs, hanging vines, pine and bamboo cover, and a clear spring that flows out like a secluded cave. Observe the large hoof print nearby, with the stone inscription “Ox Hoof.” This is the most concentrated and essential part of the cliff carvings, including three Tang Dynasty carvings. Behold: “Who would believe the green ox once entered the cave? Clearly, its twin hoof prints are imprinted on the stone.”

The Gushan Flowing Spring, a 500-meter-long ordinary mountain stream, enjoys great fame for three reasons: First, its proximity to the strategic ancient Chu-Nan Post Road near the throat of the Dabie Mountains. Since the Tang and Song Dynasties, this post road parallel to the southeastern ridges of Dabie served as a vital route connecting southeastern regions like Shu, Hu, and Chu to the northwestern capitals Luoyang of the Tang and Kaifeng of the Song. Post stations were no more than 10 li apart, bustling day and night with officials, tribute missions, merchants, scholars, troops, and postal couriers. The valley is just a river away from Doumu Post, the nearest station. Second, it lies close to the historic city of Meicheng. Established in the time of King Ling of Chu, called Wan City in the Han Dynasty, and serving as the administrative seat during the Tang and Song Dynasties, Meicheng was the political, economic, and cultural hub of Wan, Shu, and Liu counties. The valley is just over 10 li from this center, with convenient access by carriage, horse, or boat. Third, the valley sits at the foot of the flourishing Buddhist and Daoist sites of Fengxing Mountain and Bailu Ridge. To its left is Tianzuo Palace, to its right is Zhenyuan Palace, and nearby is Sanzu Temple, the foremost Buddhist site in Southern China. Monks and Daoists gathered here in great numbers, contributing to the valley’s rising reputation.

The poetry and inscriptions along the Gushan Flowing Spring are mostly by master calligraphers, noted for being “numerous, large, eminent, and elegant.” Some characters are as big as a bowl, others as small as a cup; some are carved into hundred-foot cliffs, others into deep cave rocks. In terms of genre, they cover poetry, lyrics, odes, essays, and inscriptions. In script styles, regular, cursive, clerical, seal, and running scripts are all present, representing various schools such as Yan, Liu, Ou, Mi, and Zhao. Both raised (yang) and recessed (yin) carving techniques are used, as well as round and square chiseling. Chronologically, the carvings span the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing, Republican, and modern/contemporary periods without interruption—truly a thousand years of history along one stream.

“Poetic Cliff Carvings Lie Hidden in the Valley, Where Water Murmurs Like Jade.” The Gushan Flowing Spring Cliff Carvings are hailed as a corridor of calligraphy art and known as the “No. 1 Carving in Anhui.” Thanks to the careful preservation and excavation by heritage workers, many submerged masterpieces continue to be discovered and organized, while new works by contemporary artists are also being engraved in newly planned areas. The calligraphy art corridor of Gushan Flowing Spring continues to extend in the new era. Visitors are always left in awe of such a precious cultural legacy.

Qianshui Riverside Sightseeing Belt

The Qianshui Riverside Sightseeing Belt Project is one of the ten major initiatives of Qianshan County Government in 2008. Planned by Suzhou Sage Film & Culture Company and designed by Beijing Time-Space Urban Design & Research Institute, the project covers a 5-kilometer stretch of the Qianshui River from Jingjia Bridge to Baishui Bay, with potential future extensions upstream. The scenic design integrates various regional cultural elements of Tianzhu Mountain into the landscape, forming a functional layout of four integrated zones: “Beach Entertainment Area, Ancestral Worship & Blessing Area, Leisure Shopping Area, and Sports Experience Area.” The Qianshui Riverside Tourism Area complements the main scenic zone—where the main zone represents the “mountain,” the new zone represents the “water”; the main zone is the “sky (lofty),” the new zone is the “earth (low)”; the main zone is the “pillar (masculine),” the new zone is the “beach (graceful).” “Pillar” symbolizes support, spiritual strength, and reliance, while “water” signifies flow, interaction, and pursuit. Thus, the relationship between “pillar” and “water” can be seen as that between motion and stillness, inside and outside, substance and void, heart and action. This extends into four dimensions: Buddhist mindfulness, Daoist practice, traditional culture, and leisure consumption. Buddhist mindfulness represents Zen culture, Daoist practice embodies wellness culture, traditional culture reflects heritage, and leisure consumption denotes recreational culture. This gives rise to a new dimension of Tianzhu Mountain tourism—“Tianzhu Mountain, the most masculine mountain, and the most ‘dramatic’ mountain.”

Poetic Cliff & Flowing Jade · Wine Island & Flowing Glow

On the south bank of Qianshui, west of Wutang, stands a towering cliff resembling a blooming lotus—known as Lotus Cliff, a famed poetic cliff of Tianzhu Mountain. Nestled by the water with clear currents swirling and waves lapping against the cliffs, splashing like jade. Throughout history, scholars and literati often boated here, feasted, and composed poetry, which was carved into the cliffs. Hence the name “Poetic Cliff Flowing Jade,” listed as one of the Ten Scenic Spots of Qianyang. Beside it is Curtain Cliff, delicate and exquisite as if divinely carved, also overlooking the clear stream—a favorite spot for travelers to recite poetry and reflect on history. Nearby is Fishing Cliff, above Perch Stream, named for its perch fish. Legend says that during the late Han Dynasty, the Taoist immortal Zuo Ci often fished here, and later generations called his fishing spot Fishing Cliff. The original stone inscription “Zuo Ci’s Perch Fishing Spot” has since been silted over. Ming Dynasty poet Hu Zuozong wrote: “Legend says Han’s Zuo Ci / Fished by the green cliffs. / Lured perch from Songjiang / As if catching willow-catfish.”

In front of Sanzu Temple, by Wutang, lies a massive rock in the water shaped like an islet—an extraordinary sight. Legend says the great Tang poet Li Bai once sat here, sipping wine while admiring the beautiful mountain and water views. The rock’s crimson hue reflected in the river, shimmering with rainbow colors like flowing rosy clouds, a breathtaking scene. Li Bai, enchanted by this marvel, was struck with poetic inspiration and coined the evocative phrase “Wine Island Flowing Glow.” Since then, this scenic wonder became one of the “Ten Scenic Spots of Qianyang,” attracting generations of literati who left behind many celebrated works. In Ming Dynasty poetry, the Wine Island was mentioned alongside famous sites like Orchid Pavilion, Wangchuan, and Xijia Pond, attesting to its beauty. Though the island no longer exists, its charm endures. Visitors come here to explore the past, gaze into the distance, and cleanse the mind.

Qianshui Rafting

Also called Qianshui, the Qianshui River is part of the Wanhe River system in Anhui. It originates from the Laibang Depression between Gongjie Mountain and Huangmao Mountain in the southeastern Dabie Mountains, flowing through Zhixi, Qianshan, and Huaining counties before joining the Yangtze River, with a total length of 116 kilometers. The Yezhai River section in front of Sanzu Temple boasts a wide river surface of 380 meters and stretches 18 li. The waters here are clear, fish visible, and the riverbed covered with colorful pebbles that shimmer under sunlight, creating a mesmerizing view. The white sand resembles auspicious snow, commonly known as the “Eighteen-Li Silver Beach,” representing the finest inland sandy resource in East China.

Qianshui Rafting is a popular tourist activity, combining traditional opera and beach settings to contextualize and interactively engage visitors in the rafting experience. Sitting on a bamboo raft, drifting with the flow while singing authentic Huangmei Opera and admiring the boundless scenery along the banks is an immensely pleasurable experience.

Tianzhu Mountain

Stone Ox Ancient Cave Cliff Carvings

Mysterious Valley

Black Tiger Waterfall

Immortal Peach Stone

Xiguan Fort

Tianning Fort

Cliff Carvings

Mazu Nunnery