Guishan Temple

Guishan Temple

Guishan Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Guishan Temple:

The ancient Guishan Temple is located in Huating Town, about 15 kilometers west of the city. It gets its name from being built atop a mountain whose summit resembles the back of a turtle. It is also called "Guiyang" because there is a two-li-wide open area on the mountaintop.

In the second year of the Changqing era of the Tang Dynasty (822), the renowned monk Master Wuliao came here to establish the monastery and cleared 18 tea plantations. In the eleventh year of Xiantong (870), nine temple buildings were erected with over a thousand monks in residence. During the Zhenming years of the Later Liang Dynasty (915–920), King Wang Shenzhi of Min bestowed upon the temple the name "Guishan Fuching Chan Monastery." It was expanded during the Ming Dynasty. The current structures were rebuilt in the 30th year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty (1904) and consist of three main halls. The first hall is the Heavenly King Hall, enshrining the Maitreya Buddha; in front of the hall is a spacious courtyard with a pair of stone pagodas on the pedestal of which are engraved Buddhist dharanis and reliefs of arhats and monks. The second hall is the Mahavira Hall, the grandest and tallest among all the halls, enshrining the "Bhagavan Shakyamuni Buddha," the "Medicine Buddha of Healing and Longevity," and the "Amitabha Buddha of the Pure Land"; in front of the hall is a red stairway and a liberation pond (also known as the Six-Eyed Pond). The third hall is the Dharma Hall, where a statue of Patriarch Wuliao is enshrined, with statues of Patriarchs Huizhong and Yuezhang seated on either side. To the left of the hall are the Merit Hall, Bell Tower, Sangharama Hall, Guest Hall, Dining Hall (on the left is the Kitchen), and Storage Room; to the right are the Western Paradise Hall, Drum Tower, Patriarch Hall, Meditation Hall (also the Buddha-Recitation Hall, with the newly built Precept-Learning Hall on the right), Abbot’s Quarters (with the Kṣitigarbha Hall on the right). Corridors on both sides stretch about 100 meters in length, covering an area of over 10,000 square meters, consisting of thirty-some halls of various sizes and more than 150 monk dormitories. The overall architectural complex is majestic, well-organized, harmoniously arranged, and simple yet elegant.

To the west of the temple lies the tomb pagoda of Master Wuliao, adorned with exquisitely carved stone decorations that showcase notable artistic features. There are many stone troughs in the temple’s dining hall today, the largest of which can hold ten thousand kilograms of water and is inscribed with the characters "Eleventh Month, Fourth Year of Yuanyou." At the height of its prosperity, Guishan Temple had numerous branch temples (affiliated monasteries). As the disciples spread their alms-seeking footsteps far and wide, even overseas (Malacca) had its branch temples.

With strong support from patriotic and devout overseas Chinese, over 3 million yuan has been invested to construct a seven-story, 33-meter-high spired pagoda called the "Dingguang Sarira Pagoda" on the spacious stone plaza in front of and to the right of the temple. The tower is entirely built of stone, with hollow interiors and stone stairs leading to each level; every floor houses a bodhisattva, along with carvings of arhats, dharanis, and more; the surroundings are enclosed with railings. Standing on the railing of the seventh floor offers a panoramic view of the surrounding scenery. It stands like a giant reaching to the heavens, hailed by locals as the finest in the eight Min regions.

The temple also preserves legends such as "The Turtle Well Spouts Cedars," "The Stone Duck Climbs the Mountain," "Rough Shaving of the Monk," "The Plum Temple Casts the Bell," "The Thousand-Year Treasure Tree," and "Famous Tea Presented to the Capital." Physical relics include the "Turtle Well," the "Treasure Tree," the "Stone Trough," and the "Statue of Patriarch Wuliao," once a flesh-body relic now preserved as a bone sculpture.

It is said that before Chen Jingbang entered officialdom, he studied diligently in the temple and composed a couplet: "A pavilion halfway up the mountain, a temple halfway in the sky; bells and drums in the clouds, monks under the moon." Later, he passed the imperial examination, became Minister of Rites, and served as the National Preceptor.

Guishan Temple is a renowned ancient monastery with a history of a thousand years, one of the Four Great Buddhist Forests of Putian, and is listed as a key cultural relic protection unit of the county. Today, the temple flourishes and attracts many visitors for sightseeing.

Xiazhe Ancient Trail: In the spring of the 40th year of the Wanli reign (1620), the famous geographer Xu Xiake arrived in Putian, crossed Guanyin Mountain from Julu, reached Jiuli Lake, then traveled downstream, surveying and documenting the unique scenery of the Nine Waterfalls. Impressed by the natural landscape, he remarked: "Even the Three Steps Falls of Mount Lu and the Dragon Pool of Mount Yandang each have their own distinctive beauty, but none compares to this mountain where every subtle feature is fully represented." Near the Qiqu Pavilion, at the entrance of the hiking trail, there is a stone stele inscribed with the words "Xiazhe Ancient Trail."

Huating Town: Huating Town has a long history and was formerly known as Huating. It is now located in the southwestern part of Chengxiang District, bordering Xindu Town to the east, Xianyou County to the west, Lingchuan Town to the south, and Chentai Town to the north. It covers a total area of 135 square kilometers, including 23,000 mu of arable land and 115,000 mu of mountainous land, with a forest coverage rate of 71%. It governs 34 administrative villages and one community neighborhood committee, with a population of 104,000, making it the most populous town in Chengxiang District. There are also over 30,000 overseas Chinese, mainly distributed in Southeast Asian countries and regions such as Malaysia and Indonesia, making it one of Putian’s key hometowns of overseas Chinese.

The area boasts abundant local resources... More detailed information on Huating Town++

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