Foling International Park

Foling International Park

Foling International Park is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

The Foling International Park scenic area is built to national 4A-level standards, situated in a verdant mountainous area 2 kilometers southeast of Dongxiang County. It spans 20,000 mu in total area, with a planned area of 11,800 mu, including 620 mu of water areas. Construction started in September 2011, with plans to open by the end of 2015. Leveraging natural landscape elements, the park will integrate historical, celebrity, and Buddhist cultural features along with modern and fashionable elements. It aims to become a high-end tourism complex that combines Buddhist culture, calligraphy culture, celebrity culture, eco-tourism, leisure vacations, and headquarters economy. The total investment in the park is 1 billion yuan, with 400 million yuan from the government primarily used for infrastructure and public landscape development, and 600 million yuan from social investors focused on commercial landscape projects.

The park is planned as "One Park, Five Zones," featuring a Buddhist landscape area, calligraphy culture area, leisure and entertainment area, headquarters economy area, and ecological sightseeing area. The Buddhist landscape area, spanning 400 mu with a total investment of 100 million yuan, will see the reconstruction of the over 1,300-year-old Xiyin Temple, construction of a new mountain gate square, and decoration of the Jihé Tower, known as a "three-dimensional county chronicle." In the Xiyin Temple, new main halls—including the Mountain Gate Hall, Heavenly King Hall, and Scripture Depository—as well as auxiliary buildings like the Bell and Drum Towers, Incense Kitchen, and Guest Halls, will be added, while the Mahavira Hall will be renovated, totaling a construction area of 16,000 square meters. Upon completion, it will become a top-tier temple in Jiangxi Province. The Calligraphy Culture Area, also 400 mu with an investment of 100 million yuan, will include a Calligraphy Culture Center, Calligraphy Culture Square, Calligraphy Stele Forest, artists’ studios, and the Tomb of Shu Tong. The Calligraphy Culture Center will house a large calligraphy exhibition hall, training center, lecture hall, and reception rooms. The Calligraphy Stele Forest will feature various styles, such as water, grassland, sand, farmland, and hillside steles. This area will use the calligraphy of Shu Tong—renowned for his “seven and a half style”—as a bridge to promote calligraphy art, aiming to establish a nationwide calligraphy culture dynamic of “Linyi in the north, Dongxiang in the south,” and to highlight Dongxiang’s title as China’s Hometown of Calligraphy. The Leisure and Entertainment Area, covering 500 mu with an investment of 300 million yuan, will feature a new four-star resort hotel, Gan Dong-style street, folk exhibition hall, and amusement park. The Gan Dong-style street will have a construction area of 15,000 square meters, and the folk exhibition hall 3,000 square meters, both designed in the style of southern Yangtze River residences to showcase the folklore, culture, and local food specialties of Gan Dong and the broader region. The amusement park, spanning 200 mu (120 mu water and 80 mu land), will attract 150–200 million yuan in investment to build 24 rides. The Headquarters Economy Area, with 200 mu planned and 50 million yuan invested, will include corporate clubs, entrepreneur villas, and a golf driving range. The corporate club will cover over 2,000 square meters, and 60 entrepreneur townhouses will have a combined floor space of 18,000 square meters, intended to reward entrepreneurs who have made exceptional contributions to Dongxiang’s economic development. The Ecological Sightseeing Area, along Fuling Avenue and Qu Bei Road, spans 1,000 mu and will feature vegetable, flower, and fruit zones. These areas will adopt an agritainment model for visitors and residents to enjoy picking and sightseeing.

1. Entrance Plaza and Archway

The Entrance Plaza and Archway serve as the park’s main entrance. With an investment of 10 million yuan and covering 4,600 square meters—symbolizing Dongxiang’s population of 460,000—the plaza is paved with granite. The archway is a classical-style memorial gate, 44.6 meters wide and 21.6 meters tall, with beams made of whole granite slabs. The main beam spans 14 meters and weighs 41 tons, rare in scale and weight across China. The main beam features a carved design of two dragons playing with a pearl, while the side beams depict a pair of phoenixes heralding good fortune, symbolizing prosperity. The eight pillars are topped with cloud and lotus motifs shaped like brushes, signifying creativity and success. The plaque above the archway, bearing the name “Foling International Park,” is carved from a single piece of high-quality white marble. The four pillars are inscribed on both sides with four couplets, masterpieces from renowned calligraphers in China. On either side of the plaza, cultural walls stretch 25 meters long and 4.2 meters high, depicting scenes of Foling’s beauty: “Scholarly Fragrance,” “Ancient Folk Customs,” “Peach Blossoms on Ling Ridge,” and “Seeking Enlightenment at Xiyin.”

2. Park Entry Plaza

Covering 108 mu and with an investment of nearly 30 million yuan, the Park Entry Plaza includes a large parking lot, visitor service center, and small plazas. A grand stone-carved fountain sits in the center of the traffic island, fronted by six majestic dragon pillars. Each pillar, 9.9 meters tall and 1.9 meters in diameter, is carved from a single piece of granite and weighs 30 tons. Each features carvings of nine dragons, symbolizing peace, unity, prosperity, and flourishing times. To the right, on the dam of Guantang Reservoir, the six large green characters forming the park’s name “Foling International Park” are bold and striking, adding character. Below them stands a statue of a fairy bestowing blessings, 5.18 meters tall and weighing 10 tons, representing a beautiful maiden offering good luck to visitors.

3. Visitor Service Center

The Visitor Service Center serves as a comprehensive hub for visitor gathering, electric shuttle transfers, guided tours, parking and vehicle management, and security. It has a construction area of 1,600 square meters and an investment of 10 million yuan.

4. Amusement Park

The amusement park covers 200 mu (80 mu land, 120 mu water), with an investment of 200 million yuan. Planned rides include a Ferris wheel, underwater world, luxury carousel, pirate ship, haunted castle, 5D cinema, carnival rides, hurricane flying chairs, spinning coaster, fruit bug coaster, big swing, scream machine, skywalk, glider planes, mini train, bumper cars, playground, remote-controlled planes, ice rink, and slot cars—totaling 24 attractions. Invested in by merchants from Fujian, construction has commenced.

5. Gan Dong-Style Street

The Gan Dong-Style Street is a distinctive tourist street within Foling International Park that blends history, culture, and folklore. Designed with the unique architectural style of eastern Gan, it will feature tourism products, folk items, local cuisine, performances, and a folk museum. The project covers 50 mu and construction will begin this year.

6. Calligraphy Culture Center

The Calligraphy Culture Center is a two-story building, 12.5 meters high, with a construction area of 11,000 square meters. With an investment of 30 million yuan, it will house a large calligraphy exhibition hall, training center, lecture hall, and reception rooms. Construction began in September 2014, with the main structure largely completed and interior decoration underway. Once finished, the center will host major calligraphy events, significantly elevating Dongxiang’s cultural prestige and solidifying its reputation as a national calligraphy hub—“Linyi in the north, Dongxiang in the south.”

7. Calligraphy Culture Square

The Calligraphy Culture Square lies along the central axis between the Calligraphy Culture Center and the Guantang Reservoir traffic island, covering 100 mu with an investment of 30 million yuan. It will feature a calligraphy culture corridor, landscaping, and lighting. Visitors can enjoy the scenery while being immersed in calligraphy culture. Bidding is complete, and construction will soon begin.

8. Xiyin Temple and Mountain Gate Plaza

Xiyin Temple, also called Foling Temple, is located at the foot of Foling Mountain. The mountain's peaks resemble 18 arhats or a Buddha’s hand—hence its name. Founded in 656 AD during the Tang Dynasty’s Xianqing era, the temple flourished during the Later Han period, housing 8 towers, 16 pavilions, 48 halls, 600 monk rooms, and over 1,900 monks. The Caodong School’s second patriarch, Master Benji, once preached here. By the Song Dynasty, it rivaled Hangzhou’s Lingyin Temple, earning the title “Sacred Twin Temples.” Destroyed in war in 1853, reconstruction began in September 2013 using private funds. New structures include the Mountain Gate Hall, Heavenly King Hall, Scripture Depository, Incense Kitchen, Guest Hall, Bell and Drum Towers, and auxiliary halls, with renovation of the Mahavira Hall. The 400-mu project covers 16,000 square meters with an investment of 50 million yuan, now nearly complete and set to open soon.

The Mountain Gate Plaza spans 58 mu with an investment of over 20 million yuan. It features a stone-carved Buddhist cultural wall, Three-Faced Guanyin statue, hexagonal pavilion, paving, landscaping, and lighting. An adjacent lotus release pond connects to the temple. The plaza is paved with granite, including four engraved sutra slabs (each 116 m²). Highlights include the 20.14-meter (excluding base), 1,300-ton Three-Faced Guanyin, carved from granite—a symbolic landmark commemorating the 2014 completion. The cultural walls (38.66 m × 4.68 m) depict the enlightenment of Sakyamuni and the Pure Land trinity, as well as the temple’s reconstruction story.

9. Senior Wellness Club

Emphasizing wellness culture, this club promotes holistic health concepts, integrating wellness, leisure, and cultural exchange to create a top-tier health retreat in the city or even the province. Covering 100 mu with an investment of 50 million yuan, it will include high-end dormitories, a cafeteria, herbal bath suites, foot therapy rooms, SPA, medicated diet kitchens, fitness rooms, health lectures, and sauna facilities. Focusing on physiotherapy, diet, and herbal treatments, it will form a comprehensive tourism, leisure, and wellness center.

10. Mountain Villa Hotel

The hotel covers 50 mu with an investment of 200 million yuan. It will feature a six-story main building and two three-story villas, offering accommodations, Chinese and Western restaurants, a coffee bar, shopping mall, international conference center, art performance venue, wellness SPA, and swimming pool. With prime views of the park’s landscapes from every room, it will become a serene getaway and luxury resort for discerning travelers.