Qinglong Temple in Huaibei

Qinglong Temple in Huaibei

(Photographed by: Maqiao Street, Songtuan Town)

Qinglong Temple in Huaibei is a cultural relic protection unit of Anhui Province.

Qinglong Temple is located at the southern foot of Qinglong Mountain, about 1 kilometer southeast of Maqiao Street in Songtuan Town, Lie Shan District, Huaibei City, Anhui Province. Built against the mountain and facing south, it sits to the north. This mountain is an extension of the Xuzhou mountain range, facing Tiger Mountain to the east. With nine peaks resembling a lotus flower, it is also known as Nine-Lotus Mountain. From afar, Qinglong Temple appears shrouded in mist and rain, as if a dragon were soaring and breathing clouds and mist, while Tiger Mountain resembles a fierce tiger, ready to pounce with intense scrutiny — together they form a naturally striking "dragon soaring and tiger leaping" spectacle. The Zhegou River winds around to the east, and the Zhazhe River meanders to the west. Blessed with both mountain and water views, the temple integrates seamlessly with its surroundings, offering breathtaking scenery that captivates and enchants visitors. The entire temple complex is arranged along the central axis of the Mahavira Hall in a terraced layout, featuring a rigorous structure, orderly arrangement, symmetrical heights, and well-balanced composition. It is truly a masterpiece of ancient architecture that inspires awe and is often hailed as a "sacred Buddhist site and earthly paradise."

Qinglong Temple has a long history. Legend has it that it was originally the ancestral temple of Jiang Gan’s descendants during the Three Kingdoms period. To this day, there are over ten burial mounds on the flat land behind the temple known as the Jiang Family Cemetery, with remnants still visible. Existing inscriptions record that Qinglong Temple was built during the early Ming Dynasty. Historical records indicate that during the Ming Dynasty, Qinglong Temple owned 150 mu of land, 29 buildings, 35 statues, 5 sutra volumes, 8 ritual implements, and housed 14 monks. In the 45th year of the Qianlong reign (1780), the 19th year of the Jiaqing reign (1814), the 7th and 15th years of the Daoguang reign (1827 and 1835), the 9th year of the Guangxu reign (1883), and the 32nd year of the Republic of China (1943), the temple underwent major renovations. Thanks to the disciplined transmission of teachings by eminent monks through generations, Qinglong Temple maintained strict monastic discipline and profound Buddhist heritage. During the Qing and Republican periods, it successively produced three abbots who served as resident monks at Qinglong Temple, Yunlong Temple in Xuzhou, and Ciyun Temple in Qingjiang. Abbot Liuliu of Ciyun Temple also concurrently served as the president of the Huaiyin Buddhist Association (32nd year of the Republic of China). As a result, Qinglong Temple gained widespread fame and earned deep respect from notable figures and dignitaries. On the second day of the second lunar month in 2002, lay Buddhist Chen Qingxia initiated the restoration of Qinglong Temple. In June 2012, it was designated as a sixth-batch provincial-level cultural relic protection unit by the People's Government of Anhui Province.

Protected area: the building itself and within 20 meters below.

Construction control zone: 50 meters outside the protected area.

Songtuan Town: With a population of 54,000, Songtuan Town administers 22 administrative villages: Shaoshan Village, Cangli Village, Maqiao Village, Gurao Village, Feizhai Village, Huangying Village, Taishan Village, Dongfeng Village, Wushan Village, Zhouwei Village, Zhaozhuang Village, Junwang Village, Wanglou Village, Huilou Village, He** Village, Machang Village, Songtuan Village, Dongwei Village, Dianzi Village, Leishan Village, Zhantan Village, and Donglou Village. … Songtuan Town detailed information++