Guanyin Appreciating the Melody at Sanqing Mountain

Guanyin Appreciating the Melody at Sanqing Mountain

Guanyin Appreciating the Melody is one of the Ten Wonders of Sanqing Mountain, also known as "Guanyin Listening to the Pipa." It consists of two peaks—one resembling the image of Guanyin, the other of Ge Hong. Legend has it that during the Jin Dynasty, the Taoist priest Ge Hong, moved by the suffering of the people, played the pipa to the heavens. His music touched the divine realm, prompting Guanyin to descend and listen with hands clasped in prayer, leaving behind this sacred image. This depiction of Guanyin is also one of the Three Guanyin Forms at Sanqing Mountain. To fully appreciate this scene, one must engage their imagination to envision this vivid and legendary tableau.

Guanyin Appreciating the Melody is formed by the overlapping of three peaks. The first peak is pointed at the top and round at the base, resembling a pipa; the second peak looks like a monk sitting in meditation, with his left leg slightly raised and a pipa placed on it as if he were playing; the third peak strikingly resembles the Goddess of Mercy from the South Sea, solemn and infinitely compassionate. A couplet at Pipa Pavilion reads: “The monk plays his strings, the sorrowful sound echoing through the desolate woods; Guanyin listens to the melody, her heart connected to the vast universe, filled with lingering sorrow.”

One of the Ten Wonders of Sanqing Mountain, also known as "Guanyin Listening to the Pipa." Located at the foot of Tiyun Ridge in the southern part of Sanqing Mountain, at an altitude of 1,600 meters.

"Guanyin Appreciating the Melody" is one of the "Three Wonders" of Sanqing Mountain. It is naturally formed by three towering peaks. The first peak vividly resembles a pipa; the second, like a bald-headed monk, is seen hugging the pipa and playing it; the third peak strikingly looks like the Goddess of Mercy from the South Sea, seated high in the clouds, bowing her head and listening to the monk’s pipa playing. There is a beautiful legend behind this wonder:

Legend has it that long ago, in Cangshan, there was a solemn ancient temple where a monk who had become a novice at the age of ten—having lost both parents—came to live as a young monk. Naturally gifted and possessing an exceptional memory, he devoted his pure heart and sincere reverence to Buddha. After ten years of diligent practice, he attained a profound understanding of the fundamental teachings of Buddhism, earning recognition as an outstanding monk among his peers. In addition, he was highly skilled at playing the pipa. When he played, it sometimes flowed like clouds and water, other times roared like storms; sometimes it was like pear blossoms falling in the evening rain, other times like dewdrops gathering on autumn moonlight. People praised his pipa skills and called him the "Pipa Monk."

Many believed the Pipa Monk’s ascetic discipline would lead him to become a master of Buddhism. However, because he devoted all his energy to studying Buddhist doctrines and neglected serving the senior monks, he was seen as "arrogant due to his talent" and "insincere toward Buddha," and was thus relegated to the lowest level of the temple until the age of sixty.

In the year he turned sixty, the Pipa Monk came to a realization: "Rather than waiting passively for nirvana, why not take my begging bowl and travel the world?" So, he took his pipa, bid farewell to the temple, and journeyed across famous mountains and rivers, seeking out wise hermits. Through these travels, his horizons broadened and his understanding of Buddhist philosophy deepened significantly.

One day, the Pipa Monk arrived at Sanqing Mountain. He had long heard that this was a sacred site of the Sanqing deities. Having read the Dao De Jing, he sought to understand the meaning of the "Gate of All Marvels." As he hiked up the mountain, he was struck by the serene and extraordinary scenery, feeling as though he had stumbled into a heavenly paradise. Overwhelmed with emotion, a mix of sorrow and joy, he felt fortunate to have found his spiritual home. He then sat atop the peak, facing Yujing, and expressed his feelings through his pipa.

The Pipa Monk’s performance was so moving that fish in the deep pool leapt onto the mountain, forming what is now known as Fish-Leaping Peak; birds gathered on Sanqing Mountain and sang together in chorus—some say you can still hear birds on the mountain that sing five-note melodies, called "Five-Tone Birds"; even celestial maidens dropped their flowers from the heavens, and to this day, "Fairy Flowers" remain on Sanqing Mountain. The deities were moved, and the patriarch decided to help by sending a celestial boy to inform Buddha Sakyamuni. Buddha then sent the Goddess of Mercy to enlighten him.

The Goddess of Mercy went to Yingzhou Peak to listen to the Pipa Monk play. As she listened, she too was deeply moved. So absorbed did she become in the music that she forgot her mission to enlighten him and lost track of how many years had passed. The Pipa Monk, unaware of the Goddess’s presence, continued to pour out his sorrow and frustration through his music, not knowing how many years had gone by.

Later generations inscribed a couplet at Pipa Pavilion: “The monk plays his strings, the music speaks beyond notes, sorrowful and deep. Guanyin relieves suffering, the sea of misery boundless, regret stretches far.”

Location of the Attraction

Sanqing Mountain Scenic Area, Yushan County, Shangrao City, Jiangxi Province

Sanqing Mountain

Sanqing Palace

Sanqing Blessed Land

Jade Maiden Spreading Her Arms

Jinsha Cableway

Sunshine Coast Scenic Area

Three Cave Entrances of Sanqing Mountain

Tiyun Ridge

Nanqingyuan

Yujing Peak

Yuling Temple on Sanqing Mountain

Shigu Ridge

Xihuatai of Sanqing Mountain

West Coast

The Old Taoist Worshipping the Moon at Mount Sanqing

Wanshouyuan Scenic Area

Goddess of Spring

The Giant Python Emerging from the Mountain