Yunfeng Temple

Yunfeng Temple

Yunfeng Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Yunfeng Temple, also known as Guajiao Temple. The original temple was located on the southern slope of the pass, in an open area opposite the current Temple of the Sixth Patriarch to the east. Inside the temple were statues of Zhang Jiuling and Zhang Bi, hence it was also called Zhanggong Ancestral Hall, or the “Ancestral Hall of the Two Zhangs,” in honor of their achievements in opening the mountain pass and constructing the post road. The ancestral hall was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, leaving only a poetry stele commemorating Tu Xiang’s crossing of the ridge. Yunfeng Temple has a couplet that reads: “The courier halts his horse beneath the blossoms; / The temple gate is shut deep behind the mountaintop clouds.”

Today, Yunfeng Temple has been relocated to the foothills on the northern side of the ridge, beside the ancient post road (donated and built by Buddhist devotees). Guajiao Temple has a widely circulated story: It is said that in ancient times, a Chan (Zen) Buddhist monk named Zhengyi wanted to establish a temple on Yashan Mountain in Dayu. He traveled to the home of a wealthy man in Wengyuan, Guangdong, to beg for alms, hoping to collect some silver. Unexpectedly, the miserly man not only refused to give any money but also posed a vexing challenge. He said, “I have just built 100 new rooms here. If the monk can move them, foundations and all, I will consider it a contribution to the Buddha.” Left with no choice, Zhengyi returned to Jiangxi. On the way, he encountered Lü Dongbin, one of the Eight Immortals. Seeing Zhengyi dejected, and though immortals and Buddhists usually have no connection, Lü Dongbin took the initiative to ask, “Why the long face?” Zhengyi told him the truth. After hearing the story, Lü Dongbin grabbed Zhengyi and returned with him to the rich man’s house to ask again. When the rich man saw the two of them, he laughed loudly and said, “It’s not that I’m unwilling to donate. As long as you can move the buildings, foundations and all, I’ll consider it my offering.” Lü Dongbin then pressed, “No joke, right?” The rich man, unaware of the powers of an immortal, immediately replied, “I won’t go back on my word.” Lü Dongbin then performed magic, lifting all 100 houses with a single pole and flying off with them. Just as they were about to cross the Meiling Pass, another monk suddenly appeared and asked Lü Dongbin for a house, saying, “Leave one for me to cultivate here too!” So Lü Dongbin knocked off one house and placed it on the open flatland on the southern slope, which became Guajiao Temple. The remaining 99 houses were placed on Yashan Mountain and became Lingyan Temple. Guajiao Temple has a couplet that says:

Since when have you perched on the ridge, / Occasionally playing host atop the mountain, / Still evoking the grace of ages past;

Lifting my head, I wish to ask— / Might you allow me to dwell in these hills, / To tend to my charge among ten thousand plum blossoms?

A temple lies hidden in the mountains; / Outside its gate, weary travelers abound.* — Couplet at the temple gate of Yunfeng Temple (Guajiao Temple) on Dayu Ridge.

The courier halts his horse beneath the blossoms; / The temple gate is shut deep behind the mountaintop clouds.* — Couplet at the temple gate of Yunfeng Temple (Guajiao Temple) on Dayu Ridge.