Nan Yan Temple

Nan Yan Temple

Nan Yan Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Nan Yan Temple (Buddha Mountain) in Yiyang, Jiangxi, also known as the Nan Yan Buddhist Grotto or Nan Yan Buddhist Cave, is located within the Second Scenic Area (Nan Yan Area) of the Guifeng Scenic Zone, a national key scenic spot in Yiyang, Jiangxi. The temple is surrounded on three sides by red

cliffs and built along the rock face—without tiles for its roof or eaves for its walls. The cave beneath the rock measures 70 meters wide, 30 meters high, and 30 meters deep, large enough to accommodate over a thousand people. According to research by Professor Jin Weinuo from the Central Academy of Fine Arts and Professor Ding Mingyi from the Institute of World Religions at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, this cave is the largest Buddhist grotto carved within a natural cavern in China.

According to Professor Ding Mingyi from the Institute of World Religions at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, this cave is the largest Buddhist grotto carved within a natural cave in China.

Nan Yan Temple originated in the Jin Dynasty. During the Tang Dynasty’s Taihe era (827–835), the monk Shen Yao renovated it and began carving niches into the stone walls. In the Song Dynasty’s Jiading era (1208–1224), the local Wang Yuanchang constructed the temple gate, halls, bell tower, and erected bridges and pavilions, while continuing to carve various Buddha statues into the rock. During the Yuan Dynasty’s Zhi Zheng era (1341–1368), the monk Sizheng carried out further renovations; during the Ming Dynasty’s Chongzhen era (1628–1644), it was restored again. A local notable, Fan Youtao, gifted a plaque inscribed with “Natural Heaven and Earth.” In the fifth year of the Qing Kangxi reign (1666), the monk Yuanshou expanded the temple. At that time, the scale was described by Liu Lin sun, the magistrate of Yiyang, in his “Record of Visiting Nan Yan”: “Carved from the cliffs, the structures are formed as if painted, suspended in midair, inspiring awe and trepidation.” In the eighth year of the Daoguang reign (1828), the monk Kongfan renovated the halls and side chambers. After further restorations during the Republican era, the temple enjoyed flourishing incense offerings and became a renowned ancient temple across southern China.

Inside the Nan Yan Temple cave, there are now over 40 stone niches and more than 10 cliff inscriptions, arranged in a semicircle along the rock face. The niches house Buddhist statues including Sakyamuni, Manjushri, Samantabhadra, Guanyin, and the Eighteen Arhats, showcasing the exceptional stone carving skills of ancient Chinese artisans. Although the temple suffered damage after the founding of the People’s Republic due to monks returning to secular life and during the Cultural Revolution, in 1999, with approval from the provincial Department of Culture, the Yiyang County Government recovered 36 damaged Buddha heads and undertook comprehensive restoration of the temple, restoring this millennia-old site to its former glory. Nan Yan Temple is now a provincial-level key cultural relics protection unit (approved in 1959) and is in the process of applying for national-level recognition. It officially opened to the public on New Year’s Day 2000 and is hailed as the “No. 1 Buddhist Cave in China,” serving as one of the main Buddhist cultural highlights of the Guifeng Scenic Area.

Nan Yan Temple in Chaozhou, Guangdong, is located at the western foot of Hulu Mountain in Chaozhou City, Guangdong, facing the West Lake with its rippling blue waters. On the mountain lies a natural rock cave, with massive boulders protruding nearby. Since the Tang and Song dynasties, literati and scholars have frequented this site, composing poems and inscribing them on the rocks.

Originally called “Nan Yan” and also known as “Xi Yan,” the site was developed by the local resident Zhang Rishen in the 22nd year of the Wanli reign (1594), and in the fourth year of the Tianqi reign (1624), the local scholar-official Chen Tingce established a Buddhist temple. In 1987, the monk Ruoqin (1915–February 22, 1988) raised substantial funds to rebuild the site, naming it “Nan Yan Temple,” making it one of the city’s scenic landmarks.

This ancient temple has experienced cycles of decline and revival. Its founder, Chen Tingce, is recorded in the “Qing Dynasty Qianlong Edition of the Chaozhou Prefecture Annals, Volume 30: Biographies – Recluses.” After 1950, due to radical leftist policies, the temple buildings were completely destroyed.

After the turmoil of the Cultural Revolution subsided, Buddhism saw a revival. Starting in 1981, a period of political stability and social harmony, Monk Ruoqin resolved to rescue the ancient temple. Through arduous fundraising efforts and generous donations from numerous devotees at home and abroad, reconstruction began in June 1987 and was completed the following year. The temple faces south and features a Mahavira Hall with golden statues of the Three Saints, along with eighteen arhats; two corridors, an ancestral hall, meditation rooms, a rear hall (dedicated to Guanyin Bodhisattva), and the initial phase of construction also included the east and west Dragon-Tiger Mountain Gates. With meticulous design, solemn and classic Buddhist architecture, and elegant antique charm, the temple far surpasses its former glory, demonstrating the refined artistry and grandeur of traditional Chaozhou architecture. It blends harmoniously with the cliff inscriptions of West Lake, complementing and enhancing each other, adding splendor to this historic cultural city.