Pan Valley Temple in Jixian County

Pan Valley Temple in Jixian County

Pan Valley Temple in Jixian County is a protected cultural heritage site of Tianjin Municipality.

Also known as Qinggou Chan Temple, Pan Valley Temple is located 8.5 kilometers from the ruins of the Qingjingji Mountain Villa palace and is one of the Eight Outer Scenic Spots designated by Emperor Qianlong. It was built in the 10th year of the Kangxi reign (1671) by the monk Zhipo. In the 17th year of Kangxi’s reign (1678), the emperor visited the site and bestowed upon it the name “Pan Valley Temple,” due to its location on Mount Pan, there was a mistaken belief that the Tang Dynasty poet Li Yuan once lived in seclusion here. The imperial poems composed by Emperor Kangxi, along with matching verses by Emperor Qianlong, were inscribed on stelae and housed in a pavilion erected on the sunny side of the temple. The main hall displays an imperial plaque inscribed with the words “Dingli Zhouyuan” (Unchanging Power All Around). There is also a couplet that reads: “The chime of a single bell—does it stir or still? The drifting clouds—do they feign or truly pass?” Calligraphy by successive emperors is either engraved on the back of stelae or carved into cliff stones. At the front are the Stone Gate, Cool Stone, Shuyu Spring, Zhirizhi Spring, and Pine Hollow; at the back are Apricot Blossom Slope and Dragon Head Rock; in the middle are the Autumn Moon Hall, Nest Clouds Pavilion, Buddha Selection Hall, and Virgin Shrine. The monks’ quarters bear an inscription: “Golden Fortress, Dragon Elephant, One Flower Reveals Auspiciousness.” The temple no longer stands today, only ruins remain.

During the height of the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Kangxi visited Mount Pan nine times, and each time he came to Pan Valley for meditation and sightseeing. He also exchanged poems and maintained close ties with Zhipo, the monk who founded the temple. Such frequent interaction between an emperor of a prosperous era and an ordinary monk was extremely rare, reflecting his deep affection for Pan Valley Temple. This relationship had a direct influence on the subsequent development of Mount Pan, the construction of temples, and even on Zhipo completing the writing of the "Mount Pan Chronicles" after nine years of painstaking effort.