Yongqing Rock Guanyin Pavilion

Yongqing Rock Guanyin Pavilion

Yongqing Rock Guanyin Pavilion is a cultural relic protection unit of Jiangxi Province.

In Jingxi Village, Longbu Town, Anyuan County, the 400-year-old 0—Yongqing Rock0—remains completely preserved. Formed by a cliff that is nearly 100 meters high and over 100 meters wide, Yongqing Rock has hosted a Zen monastery since the Kaixi era of the Southern Song Dynasty (1205), boasting a history of over 800 years. This monastery has been destroyed and rebuilt countless times, and was listed as a county-level cultural relic protection unit in 1983.

Yongqing Rock0—also known as Guanyin Pavilion—is attached to this massive, hundred-meter-high rock. Historical records indicate that the Guanyin Pavilion was built in the 44th year of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty (1606). It is a pavilion-style building with three eaves and four stories, standing 15 meters tall, 2.7 meters long, and 1.5 meters wide, covering an area of just 4.05 square meters. With a history of over 400 years, it has always been a thriving site for Buddhist activities and is famed for its unique structure. Built against the cliff, visitors ascend via wooden stairs from the 0—bottom, one person at a time. It is the smallest “pocket-sized” 0—in southern China.

Viewed from afar, Yongqing Rock Guanyin Pavilion resembles a small, elongated wooden box attached to the rock. Up close and looking up, the 0—appears even more striking, with its overhanging eaves and ingenious craftsmanship. Measurements on-site show this rock-clinging structure is 15 meters high, 2.7 meters long, and 1.5 meters wide. The entire pavilion has three eaves and four stories, built entirely of wood, with wooden stairs leading up floor by floor, allowing only one person to pass at a time. From bottom to top, the 0—consists of the Main Hall, the “Wenchang Pavilion,” the “Huayan Pavilion,” and the “Guanyin Pavilion.” Within the Guanyin Pavilion’s stone wall is a natural cave, 2 meters deep, 1 meter high, and 2 meters wide, which holds an ancient suspended ceiling painted with 45 vivid figures from ancient times and inscribed with 10 classical poems. The beams and eaves are also painted with figures and animals, credited to the painter “Yi Bingyu of Yudu County.” To the right and below the 0—is a stone stele, 1.95 meters high, 0.7 meters wide, and 1.15 meters thick, engraved with restoration inscriptions from the Ming Dynasty and the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty.

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Jiangxi Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units