Xifeng Temple

Xifeng Temple

Xifeng Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Xifeng Temple was first built during the reign of Emperor Shenzong of the Northern Song Dynasty. For nearly a thousand years, it flourished as a place of worship, exerting influence across various counties in southern Anhui and earning the title "Little Jiuhua." During the Xianfeng era of the Qing Dynasty, the temple was destroyed in the battles of the Taiping Rebellion. In the 32nd year of the Republic of China (1943), local devotees raised funds to rebuild it, though it never regained its former scale. In 1964, the renowned Hunan monk Master Shi Congwen came alone to the then-dilapidated Xifeng Temple. He cleared land for farming, raised bees for honey, reignited the temple’s spiritual flame, and revitalized Buddhist practice. After the reform and opening-up, as religious policies became more open, visitor numbers to Xifeng Temple increased steadily, making it a well-known attraction by Taihu Lake. In 1992, Master Shi Congwen passed away. Four years after his body was sealed in a jar, it remained uncorrupted, sitting upright like a bell. Local devotees spontaneously donated to gild his relics and enshrine them in a dedicated hall. In 1997, Li Jixue, Director of the Provincial Religious Affairs Bureau, visited Xifeng Temple and highly praised Master Shi Congwen’s upright seated posture and solemn expression. He noted that it was a miracle for such well-preserved relics to form in an area with high air humidity like Taihu Lake. As a result, Xifeng Temple gained widespread fame, attracting numerous visitors and pilgrims.

The Party Committee and government of Wushi Town vigorously implemented a tourism-driven development strategy, taking the lead in issuing a township-level "Opinions on Accelerating the Development of Tourism." They proposed focusing on developing heritage exploration tours, Buddhist culture discovery tours, and rural leisure tourism. A CCTV production crew spent an entire day filming, comprehensively showcasing Xifeng Temple’s historical evolution, the legendary life of Master Shi Congwen, scientific explorations into the formation of his relics, as well as the beautiful scenery and profound historical culture of Taihu Lake. Once completed, this feature-length documentary will be broadcast on major national media platforms, playing a significant role in promoting Huangshan District and Taihu Lake, while also advancing the expansion and development of the millennia-old Xifeng Temple. According to local villagers, the nunnery in Dawushi Village has a history of over 200 years. In earlier times, the nunnery enjoyed a thriving flow of worshippers.

According to Over 80-year-old villager Uncle Wang, “I heard that the abbess of the nunnery used to hide all the donation money because she was afraid the young nuns might steal it. Later, when the abbess passed away, no one knew where she had hidden the money.”

Huangshan District's Tai Ping Wushi Town is a western town in Huangshan City’s Huangshan District, situated between Mount Huang and Mount Jiuhua. It lies at the heart of the Chengpinghu National Wetland Park. The town features a mix of plains, mountainous areas, and reservoir regions, encompassing 20,000 hectares of non-forested mountain land, 650 hectares of farmland, and 660 hectares of tea plantations. It is a key grain-producing, forestry, reservoir resettlement, and revolutionary base town in Huangshan District, abundant in timber, bamboo, tea, high-quality rice, freshwater fish and shrimp, as well as local specialties like bamboo shoots, bracken, shiitake mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, and winter melon seeds. Wushi boasts uniquely beautiful landscapes and rich cultural heritage, earning it the reputations of “Little Jiuhua by Taihu Lake” and “A Poetic Realm of Han-Tang Charm.” The town has a forest coverage rate of over 90%, with air and water quality consistently meeting national first-class standards. It has been honored with titles such as “National Top 100 Afforestation Township” and “Huangshan Organic Tea Hometown.”