Xiandu Temple

Xiandu Temple

Xiandu Temple is a cultural relic protection unit of Jiangxi Province.

The Xiandu Temple on Magu Mountain, also known as Magu Temple, was rebuilt in 1992. The entire garden-style architectural complex covers an area of over ten thousand square meters, consisting of an elegant and classic-style antique architectural ensemble. Its main structures include the Three Pure Ones Hall, the Primordial Sovereign Hall, side halls, the stele pavilion housing Yan Zhenqing’s “Magu Mountain Immortal Terrace Inscription” — renowned as the “No. 1 Regular Script in the World” — as well as a 200-meter-long calligraphy stele corridor featuring masterpieces from calligraphers across 31 provinces, municipalities, autonomous regions, as well as from Macau, Singapore, Japan, and other locations.

Magu Mountain is located to the west of Nancheng County in Jiangxi Province, about ten-plus li from the county seat. With its picturesque mountain scenery, lush forests, birdsong, floral fragrance, and abundant resources, the site not only boasts the spectacular double waterfall known as “Twin Jade Belts,” but also the timeless “Lu Gong Stele.” It is home to famous attractions such as the “Mid-Mountain Pavilion,” “Xiandu Temple,” “Divine Power Spring,” “Dragon Gate Bridge,” and “Danxia Cave.” The fairyland remains intact, hence the “Famous Mountains Records” states: “China has thirty-six grotto-heavens and seventy-two blessed lands scattered across the land, but only Magu Mountain possesses both a grotto-heaven and a blessed land, standing out brilliantly in the southeast.”

According to Volume 27 of the “Yunji Qiqian” (“Seven Lots from the Bookbag of the Clouds”) under the section “Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands,” Magu Mountain is the “Twenty-eighth Grotto-Heaven” among Taoism’s Thirty-Six Minor Grotto-Heavens, known as the “Danxia Grotto-Heaven,” and is also the “Tenth Blessed Land” among the Seventy-Two Blessed Lands.

Passing through the stone archway at the mountain entrance, one will find the Lu Gong Stele Pavilion. This is a four-cornered pavilion with flying eaves and stone pillars, measuring 7 meters in width. At its center stands a large stele inscribed with Yan Zhenqing’s “Record of the Immortal Terrace of Magu Mountain, Nancheng, Fuzhou,” written and composed by Yan himself. The stele is 2.7 meters tall and 3.9 meters wide. The front of the pavilion bears a plaque inscribed with “Lu Gong Stele Pavilion” by contemporary calligrapher Cui Xuelu. The green granite pillars are engraved with couplets in Yan-style calligraphy.

Magu Mountain is part of the remnant ridges of Junfeng Mountain in the Wuyi Mountain range, with an elevation of less than one thousand meters. Legend has it that during the Tang Dynasty, the Taoist immortal Deng Ziyang practiced Taoism and cultivated himself on Magu Mountain. Taoists competed to lecture here, and celebrities and dignitaries frequented the site, making it a center of Taoism in the southeast. In the Qin Dynasty, the great scholar Hua Ziguang traveled far and wide to Maguan (an alternate name) to write books, and he had a stone chamber where he stored his books. The Southern Song poet Xie Lingyun once visited out of admiration and left behind numerous poems praising Magu Mountain. The cliff inscriptions, rock carvings, and sculptures reached an exceptional level of artistry. During the Jin Dynasty, the eminent physician Ge Hong came to Magu Mountain to refine elixirs and praised the Divine Power Spring as one of the finest waters he had encountered in all his travels across famous mountains and rivers. When Yan Zhenqing, the Tang Dynasty governor of Fuzhou, visited Magu Mountain, he personally composed and wrote the “Magu Immortal Terrace Inscription,” which is regarded as the second-best calligraphy in the world, next only to Wang Xizhi’s “Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion.” During the Northern Song Dynasty, the philosopher Li Gou lectured at the “Ten Sages Hall” on Magu Mountain, attracting hundreds of students from various regions. No wonder Wang Hua, the Ming Dynasty’s regional official from Guangxi, wrote in his “Preface to the Collected Works on Magu”: “My native Xu is a famous commandery in Jiangyou, with scenery so beautiful it is celebrated throughout the land. Among its mountains, Magu is especially unique. Thus, since the Jin, Tang, and Song dynasties down to our time, many esteemed and renowned individuals who admired its fame have surely visited.”

Magu Mountain is known for its soaring clouds, emerald peaks, mysterious caves and rocks, and the wonder of the “Twin Jade Belts.” Ascending from the foot of the mountain, halfway up you’ll find a pavilion called the “Mid-Mountain Pavilion.” To its left cascades a waterfall. Looking up, you’ll see two white streams of water plunging down like two dragons, descending over a hundred feet, crashing into the pool and slicing through the cliff. The splashes resemble snowflakes dancing in the air and mist spraying upward. Standing before the rock face, you’ll feel bursts of cool air from the waterfall — even in the height of summer, you’ll be refreshed. On the rock beside it are carved the words “Twin Jade Belts,” which appear vigorous and powerful through the veil of falling water. No wonder ancient poets wrote: “The lofty mountain stirs rapid torrents, their clear sound echoing through the woods; snow-white spray dashes against a thousand cliffs, while white rainbows hang down for miles.”

Climbing hundreds of stone steps along the stream leads you to the “Dragon Gate Bridge,” an elegant and uniquely designed structure. A long pavilion is built atop the bridge, where visitors can lean on the railings and gaze into the distance — seeing cliffs split apart and verdant pines standing firmly. Looking down from the bridge, there is a “Water Curtain Cave,” whose entrance is hidden within a waterfall curtain, resembling a crescent moon hanging upside down on the stone wall. Inside the cave is bright and spacious, accommodating over a hundred people. Below the Water Curtain Cave is the Dragon Pool, beside which lies a ritual stone called the “Star-Worshipping Stone.” Legend says a dragon often coils around this stone in the deep pool to worship the celestial stars. Surrounding the area are oddly shaped rocks forming small pools — some star-shaped, called Star Pools; others moon-shaped, called Moon Pools; as well as Turtle Pool, Crouching Lion Pool… They stand upright, slanted, squatting, or lying down, each in unique shapes, offering endless sights to behold.

To the left of the “Dragon Gate Bridge” lies the famous “Divine Power Spring.” The spring water seeps from cracks in the rocks beneath the stone and gathers in a stone basin — just enough to scoop with a ladle. Yet no matter how much you ladle, the spring never runs dry, hence it is also called “The Scoopful.” The water is crystal-clear, cool, and sweet to the taste. During the Ming Dynasty, imperial censor Shao Meidun visited the mountain, drank from the spring, and inscribed the words “The Scoopful,” the ink of which can still be seen today.

Descending along the slope, you’ll arrive at the tour center — the Xiandu Temple complex on Magu Mountain. Nestled among rolling peaks, the temple is built on a broad highland plain. Legend says Magu attained enlightenment here. In the 27th year of the Kaiyuan era of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang (739 AD), after the Taoist Deng Ziyang was buried on Magu Mountain, the emperor erected a temple in honor of Magu. The temple houses a statue of Magu, dignified and full-bodied, with eyes slightly downcast in a gentle smile. Other Buddha statues are richly colored and uniquely crafted, presenting a harmonious and resplendent golden sight.

Standing at the entrance of the Xiandu Temple complex and looking out at the surrounding mountains, you’ll see five peaks rising up, shrouded in mist, shaped like elders — hence called the “Five Elders Peaks.” Among them, Danxia Peak is the main peak. Within the peaks lies a bottomless cave with a skylight at the top, and a stream trickling outside. Bathed in the morning sunlight, the cave glows with golden light, and viewers may wonder if there’s a cave within a cave, and a sky within the cave — thus it’s named the “Danxia Grotto-Heaven,” one of the wonders of Magu Mountain.