Yuanshang Qingliang Temple

Yuanshang Qingliang Temple

Yuanshang Qingliang Temple is a cultural relic protection unit of Fuyang City.

The ancient Qingliang Temple has long been renowned for its connection to Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty.

Qingliang Temple is located 17.5 kilometers south of Yuanshang County, on the southern slope of Qiujia Lake in Banguang Town. The temple covers an area of 5,000 square meters, surrounded by clear streams and shaded by greenery. At its peak, it was built on a site described as "a coiling dragon and crouching tiger, facing the rising phoenix," featuring such structures as the Jade Pagoda and Dragon Well, brick flower walls, high steps, deep courtyards, and now preserves a pair of gold-leafed couplets in Yan-style calligraphy. "Tongqiu Minghe" and "Huazhu Qianlong" stand on either side of the main hall.

Qingliang Temple is associated with Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang. Legend has it that before ascending the throne, one sweltering summer day, he stopped at this temple and rested in a side hall. Complaining about the intense heat and the annoyance of mosquitoes and flies, he muttered to himself, “Is it cool here?” The moment he spoke, a cool breeze blew, and all mosquitoes and flies vanished. Delighted, he exclaimed, “Truly, a Cool Temple!” Hence the name. When the Emperor ascended the throne, he ordered the temple to be rebuilt. Emperor Xianzong later decreed that Liao Fu be sent to renovate Qingliang Temple, and a stone tablet was erected to commemorate the event. During the Chenghua era of the Ming Dynasty, the eminent monk Zuyunxiang from Fushun in Western Shu visited Qingliang Temple. Seeing its dilapidated state, he took it upon himself to restore it, constructing a five-bay Mahavira Hall, the Heavenly King Hall, and the Mountain Gate, where the statue of the Buddha shone in resplendent gold. However, the monk passed away soon after. In the seventh year of the Tongzhi reign during the Qing Dynasty, the abbot Moulínxiáng once again raised funds to renovate the temple. For centuries, Qingliang Temple has hosted numerous eminent monks, echoing with the soft sounds of Buddhist chants and the lingering fragrance of incense, gaining widespread fame along the Huai River. Two li to the southwest originally stood the “Ancient Trees of Tongqiu,” which were among the Eight Scenic Spots of Yuanshang County during the Ming Dynasty.

Banguang Town: Banguang Town is located in the southern part of Yuanshang, on the northern bank of the Huai River. It borders Runhe Town and Guantun Township to the west, faces Chuigang Township to the east, neighbors the Third Lake and Balizhen to the north, and looks across the Huai River to Huoqiu County to the south. It covers an area of 71 square kilometers, with 44,250 mu of arable land, and administers 30 villagers' committees, 238 villager groups, and 102 natural villages. The town has a total agricultural population of 44,314 and a non-agricultural population of 4,026, with the main ethnic groups being Han and Hui.

The terrain of the town is higher in the northwest and lower in the southeast, with the highest elevation at 28.5 meters and the lowest at 18.3 meters. Along the southern bank of the Huai River from west to east, there are small... More details about Banguang Town++