Shengji Temple on Mengshan Mountain

Shengji Temple on Mengshan Mountain

Shengji Temple on Mengshan Mountain is a cultural tourism attraction.

Mengshan Mountain stands over a thousand meters above sea level. From the summit of its main peak, Baiyun Peak, you can enjoy the beautiful pastoral scenery stretching for hundreds of miles during the day and admire the glittering lights of three prefectures at night. The “Clear Clouds over Mengding” present ever-changing vistas, while the “Snow-Covered Meng Ridge” blankets the land in white — one of the Eight Scenic Spots of Shanggao. This wonderful place has long been cherished by our ancestors. As early as over 1,300 years ago during the Tang Dynasty, when Buddhism was flourishing, the eminent disciple of the Sixth Patriarch Huineng, Zen Master Daoming, traveled a great distance to the foot of Mengshan and built Shengji Temple. Throughout the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, the temple was destroyed many times but also repeatedly restored. During the Ming and Qing periods, its steps, pillars, and altar bases were renovated with marble, and the temple complex, with its grand and majestic three courtyards, stood in splendor. Hanging inside the temple is a particularly eye-catching couplet said to have been personally written by Emperor Qianlong. The upper line reads: “Buddha came from the Western Regions, and just as all iron can be cast in a great furnace, so too can all beings be enlightened.” The lower line reads: “Monks journey eastward to Mengshan, like lone wild geese or cranes, for what sky is there that they cannot soar?” The momentum is truly magnificent. Adding to its prestige is the imperial stele inscribed with “Buddhist Kingdom of the Tang Dynasty,” bestowed by Emperor Jiaqing, which further dignifies the mountain gate. On both sides of Shengji Temple stand two towering ancient cypresses, each so thick that it takes three people to encircle them, with lush foliage. There’s a saying: phoenixes roost in tall trees. Many years ago, two pairs of swans nested in these cypresses, hatching eggs and raising their young. One day, while the swans were out foraging, a meddlesome person stole their eggs, boiled them, and then placed them back in the nest, intending to play a trick on the swans — to see if they could still hatch cygnets. But after about a month, the baby swans hatched and were hopping joyfully among the branches. People found it miraculous and spread the news, saying there was something mysterious about these trees. Some greedy individuals wanted to cut down the ancient cypresses to make cabinets, wardrobes, or even coffins, but the trees, seemingly enchanted, bled when struck by axes, forcing the would-be lumberjacks to flee. For many years afterward, no one dared to harm the cypresses. However, during the ten-year turmoil, not only were the ancient trees completely destroyed, but even the stele inscribed with “Buddhist Kingdom of the Tang Dynasty” was left with only half remaining.