Longpan Temple

Longpan Temple

Longpan Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Longpan Temple, a Buddhist activity center in Yongfeng. It is located in the middle of the river about 500 meters downstream from Enjiang Bridge in the county town. The entire islet is several hundred meters long and dozens of meters wide, covered with lush trees and bamboo, and filled with birdsong, making it a scenic spot in the county. As early as the 51st year of the Jiajing reign in the Ming Dynasty (1552), then-county magistrate Sun Rui built a pavilion here called the “Qunying Pavilion.” The lintel of the gate was inscribed with the names of 60 locals who had passed the imperial examination since the Ming Dynasty, to honor the ancestors and inspire future generations. In the 15th year of the Kangxi reign in the Qing Dynasty (1716), it was renovated and the pavilion was renamed “Longpan Temple.” The temple is surrounded by towering camphor trees and red walls, with incense smoke curling up and the sounds of bells and drums frequently heard. The entire temple complex consists of three halls: the front hall (Guanyin Hall), the middle hall (Mahavira Hall), and the rear hall (Guanyin Hall). There are more than 60 Buddha statues of various sizes enshrined in the temple. On the first and fifteenth days of each lunar month, visitors and worshippers come in an endless stream.

Legend has it that the islet never gets fully submerged by water. After the temple was built, the bamboo behind it, which used to be as thin as a finger, suddenly grew to the thickness of a hoe handle, which people believed to be a sign of “Buddha’s divine power.”