Qingyuan Mountain Jingju Temple

Qingyuan Mountain Jingju Temple

Qingyuan Mountain Jingju Temple is a cultural heritage site protected by Jiangxi Province.

Qingyuan Mountain is located 9 kilometers southeast of the old county town (now Ji’an City) and east of the Gan River. It belongs to the Songhua Mountain Range and has an elevation of 116 meters. During the Han Dynasty, Zhang Daoling (the Celestial Master Zhang) ranked Qingyuan Mountain among the 365 famous mountains in China. Buddhism has long regarded it as the “Celestial Abode Above the Clouds.” The poet Yang Wanli praised it as: “The foremost scenic wonder of Jiangxi’s landscapes.” The mountain features 35 springs, streams, gullies, and ravines. There are springs such as Spraying Snow, Tiger Roar, Pearl, Hundred Straw Creek, Little Three-Tiered, and Flying Dragon Pool; peaks such as Tianyue, Lotus, Emerald Screen, Partridge, West China, and Canopy; as well as scenic spots like Sword Testing Rock, Stone Gully, Green Gorge, Fallen Character Stone, Sword Platform, Dripping Water Cliff, and Flying Cloud Stone — all of which have inspired ancient poets to compose verses. The Tang Dynasty eminent official and master calligrapher Yan Zhenqing inscribed the two characters “Zu Guan” (Ancestral Pass) in seal script, which were engraved on a stone tablet and embedded at the entrance gate of Jingju Temple. The mountain gate also bears the three characters “Qing Yuan Shan” (Qingyuan Mountain) handwritten by Wen Tianxiang. The Northern Song Dynasty literary giant Huang Tingjian personally composed the long poem “Visiting Qingyuan – A Poem in Response to Zhou Yuanweng,” which was later engraved on eight separate stone tablets and inlaid on both sides of the Mahavira Hall. The Southern Song Dynasty statesman and anti-Jin general Li Gang’s “Record of Visiting Qingyuan Mountain” was also engraved across forty-two stone tablets and embedded on the walls of the temple’s Old Monks’ Dining Hall. These works of calligraphy by notable figures have been hailed through the ages as the “Four Treasures of Calligraphy at Qingyuan.” In addition, the stone tablet inscribed with the words “Caixi Sect” by the Ming Dynasty Neo-Confucian master Wang Shouren, and the inscription “Heaven Lies Within the Mountain” by Fang Yizhi—one of the “Four Gentlemen” of the late Ming Dynasty—are also treasured relics. According to the “Brief Chronicles of Qingyuan Mountain,” nearly 500 poems about Qingyuan Mountain have been composed by historical figures including the Tang Dynasty eminent official Jiang Gongfu, high-ranking official Duan Chengshi, the Southern Song Dynasty statesman Zhou Bida, officials Hu Quan and Xiang Minzhong, renowned poet Liu Chenweng; Ming Dynasty officials Li Dongyang and Zhan Ruoshui; and Qing Dynasty literati Shi Runzhang, Weng Fanggang, and Jiang Zhiqi.

Buddhism was introduced to Qingyuan Mountain during the Divine Dragon era of the Tang Dynasty, and the temple was built in the first year of the Divine Dragon era (705 AD). Initially named “An Yin Temple” (named after nearby An Yin Mountain), it was later bestowed the name “An Yin Temple” by Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty. With a history of over 800 years, the name has been retained to this day. The Song Dynasty poet and national hero Wen Tianxiang wrote: “Living here to meditate on bamboo shoots, clear spring water brews Buddha’s tea… shadows at night before the lamp, home of the Seventh Patriarch of Jiangxi.” The Japanese monk Jianzhen, on his fifth attempt to sail to Japan, was forced to turn back and stopped in Jizhou on the way, where he practiced Zen at Qingyuan Mountain. At its peak, Jingju Temple housed up to a thousand monks, becoming a major temple in Jiangxi and one of the principal Buddhist sites in southern China.

Jingju Temple has undergone multiple renovations through the dynasties. The temple complex includes the Vajra Hall, Mahavira Hall, Pilu Pavilion, Ksitigarbha Hall, Chanting Hall, Scripture Depository, Medicine Tree Hall, Seventh Patriarch Pagoda Pavilion, and meditation rooms on both sides, covering an area of approximately 10,000 square meters. The grand Mahavira Hall is surrounded by water on all four sides with three bridges arching overhead, giving it a distinct Henan-style courtyard charm. After the liberation, it came under the administration of Ji’an City.

Jingju Temple (including the Holy Domain Memorial Archway, Gate Tower, Heavenly King Hall, Mahavira Hall, Pilu Pavilion, Seventh Patriarch Pagoda, and Li Gang Poetry Stele Corridor Pavilion)

Location

Hedong Township, Qingyuan District, Ji’an City, Jiangxi Province

Type: Historical Architecture / Temple

Recommended Visit Duration: About 1 hour

Phone: 0796-8120211, 8120333

Further Reading:

· First Batch of Jiangxi Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units