Xiandu Shengjing Scenic Area

Xiandu Shengjing Scenic Area

Xiandu Shengjing Scenic Area is located in the southern part of the scenic zone, covering an area of approximately 1.4 square kilometers. It is characterized by beautiful farmland and traditional village life. The area mainly includes two natural villages: Liping and Pengqilong. Dongshi Mountain is also a vibrant world of biodiversity. Preliminary surveys indicate that over forty species of birds inhabit the entire scenic area, including long-tailed pheasants, yellow-headed pheasants, true birdlings, partridges, kingfishers, and more. “A hundred notes sung at will, amid flowers red and purple on trees high and low.” Strolling through the mountains and waters, wandering amidst forests and springs, and listening to the birds’ gentle songs is an incomparably pleasant experience. The Dongshi Mountain scenic area boasts a rich variety of plants and flowers, such as peach blossoms, cherry blossoms, lilies, and orchids of the deep valley. Among them, the azaleas are truly spectacular. In spring and summer, the mountains are covered in blooms of red, white, yellow, and purple, creating a dazzling and colorful display. The white ones are pure, the red ones passionate, all charming and delightful. “When you meet such beauty, where else can you find such heavenly fragrance?” If you miss this season, it’s hard to catch a glimpse of their splendor. In addition to flowers, the mountain is also home to precious trees and fruits such as metasequoia, cryptomeria, podocarpus, kiwi fruit, ginkgo, and the local specialty fruit of Zherong — crabapple. There are over ten temples and monasteries in the Dongshi Mountain scenic area. Deep within the mountain’s dense forests are Sancao Temple, Puguang Temple, and Baima Palace; in the central part is Qingyun Palace; at the southern foot is Juexing Temple; at the mountain’s base are Longxing Nunnery, Ma Xian Temple, Dongfeng Temple, Guangfu Temple, Xianyu Islet, the Kong Family Ancestral Temple, and Sanqing Temple. These temples and monasteries have a long history and have produced many eminent monks. Puguang Temple was built in the first year of the Qingtai era of the Tang Dynasty (934 AD), making it over a thousand years old. Guangfu Temple is located in Qianshan Village, Zherong County, also known as Baiyun Temple or Gen'gu Temple. It was first built in the first year of the Changxing era of the Later Tang Dynasty (930 AD), also over a thousand years ago. The eminent Tang Dynasty monk Yixing once traveled here from Tiantai, Zhejiang. Seeing the serene environment of Guangfu Temple, with Aoyu Mountain facing the clear stream like a half-moon sinking into the river, and the mountain foothills enveloped in lingering white clouds and shimmering auspicious light, he composed the verse: “The ancient Baiyun Temple is tranquil and serene, the half-moon sinks into the river where auspicious waters flow.” The temple has produced many eminent monks, and to this day, miraculous stories about its accomplished monks are still passed down among the people. Later, with the support of the local government and devotees from Singapore, Hong Kong, and across the country, Guangfu Temple was rebuilt. Its Mahavira Hall houses tens of thousands of Buddha statues, presenting a magnificent sight. From the unearthed artifacts found within the Dongshi Mountain area, it is evident that human ancestors had already settled and thrived on this land ten thousand years ago.

Artifacts unearthed from Houjing and Hongkeng at the southern foot include stone arrows and stone axes from the Neolithic period; over 120 types of ancient coins from the Han and Tang dynasties were excavated in Qianlou; the Song-era kiln ruins in Wan Yao Village contain over 30 types of ceramics from the Tang and Song periods. At the mountain’s base lies “Taian Palace,” which was once the military training ground for the rebel army of Yuan Tianlu, a founding hero of the Ming Dynasty. There is also the tomb of You Pu, the Ming Dynasty’s Huguang Provincial Administration Commissioner, as well as scenic sites such as stone pavilions and memorial archways. Developing the Dongshi Mountain scenic area is a major undertaking for the benefit of the people of Zherong. As early as 1984, the county party committee and government actively invested manpower, material resources, and funding to develop and construct the scenic area. They mobilized the public to raise funds, donate money and materials, and contribute labor, with total contributions equivalent to over one million RMB. A 3-kilometer mountain-looping tourist road and a 3-kilometer road from Dongyuan to Juexing Temple were built, along with numerous stone steps and pathways within the scenic area. Structures such as the Yingbin Pavilion, Sightseeing Pavilion, Qixi Pavilion, and Lotus Pavilion were also constructed. In 1995, with funds raised by the public, the largest Taoist temple in the county — Qingyun Palace — was built in the Lingyan scenic area. Together with Puguang Temple, Juexing Temple, and other monasteries, it provides convenience for visitors to worship and stay. In 1999, the county tourism bureau raised 100,000 RMB to build a 1,000-meter-long stone staircase to address the inconvenience of walking the route from Qingyun Palace to Baxian Cave. In 2000, nearly 200,000 RMB was raised by private contributors to build a parking lot and leisure tea house at the Yingbin Pavilion on Dongshi Mountain.