Guizong Scenic Area

Guizong Scenic Area

Guizong Scenic Area

Guizong Scenic Area is located in the central southern foothills of Mount Lu, on the north side of the Xingde Highway, about 10 kilometers from Xingzi County. The scenic area centers around Guizong Temple, extending north to Yulian Spring, east to Jianji Temple, and west to Xinglin Altar. It is the earliest Buddhist and Taoist base on Mount Lu, with a hiking trail of approximately 6 kilometers. In the early years of the Xianning era during the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the great calligrapher Wang Xizhi…

In the early Xianning era of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the great calligrapher Wang Xizhi served as the governor of Jiangzhou. After leaving office, he built a villa for practicing calligraphy at the foot of Golden Wheel Peak in the southern part of the mountain. Later, in 340 AD, he donated it to the Western Region monk Bodhidharma, who established a temple there and named it "Guizong," making it the earliest temple built on Mount Lu. During the Tang and Song dynasties, the temple was very large in scale, with dozens of halls, pavilions, chambers, and palaces, as well as hundreds of acres of forested mountains and fields belonging to the temple. It was known as the foremost among the Four Great Monasteries. Eminent monks and scholars such as Yasha, Zhichang, Kewen, Fotuo, Daguan, Xiumeitingjian, Su Shi, and Su Zhe all visited here. After suffering various damages over time, the precious cultural relics in the temple were looted by Japanese troops, and the temple buildings have not yet been restored. However, the ancient camphor trees and bamboo groves remain lush and green, and Wang Xizhi’s ink-washing pool is still preserved. The thousand-jin bronze cauldron and ten-thousand-jin iron bell from the temple are now housed in the county museum.

To the north of Guizong lie famous peaks such as Golden Wheel, Stone Mirror, and Purple Cloud. Below these peaks, the Stone Mirror Stream features a waterfall like a curtain, known as the renowned Yulian Spring. Below the waterfall is the Snow-Spraying Pavilion and a stone cave where Wang Xizhi often stayed, called the Xizhi Cave. Midway along the stream is the “Right Army Goose Pond,” where Wang Xizhi raised geese.

Two kilometers east of Guizong lies Jianji Temple, established in 461 AD by the Southern Dynasties Taoist master Xiujing (also known as Master Jianji, posthumously honored as Dan Yuan Zhenren). It served as a place for organizing Taoist scriptures and teaching Taoist doctrines. Over the dynasties, it received numerous visitors. During the Tang and Song periods, poets and scholars such as Wei Yingwu, Gu Kuang, Bai Juyi, Lü Dongbin, Zhu Xi, and Wang Shipeng left poems here. Today, historic sites such as the Immortal-Crossing Bridge, Star-Worshipping Stone, and Medicine-Pounding Mortar still remain. The area outside the temple is still lush with pine and bamboo, and features scenic views of both eastern and western waterfalls.

Xinglin Altar, also known as Dongqin Hall, is located one kilometer west of Guizong, behind today’s Hot Spring Middle School. Commonly referred to as the Immortal-Inviting Altar, it is an ancient site for worshipping Dong Feng, the divine physician of the Three Kingdoms period. Dong Feng, a native of Fuzhou, was known for his miraculous medical skills and strong emphasis on medical ethics. In 222 AD, he came to Mount Lu from Nanchang, treating people without accepting money, instead asking them to plant apricot trees as payment. The apricot trees eventually formed a forest, and Dong Feng traded the apricots for grain to help the poor. Since then, the term “Apricot Grove” has become synonymous with traditional Chinese medicine practitioners. To the north of Xinglin Altar, beneath the Prajna Peak, lie the ruins of the Apricot Grove.

Wang Xizhi (303–361 AD, some sources say 321–379 AD), the renowned calligrapher of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, is honored as the “Sage of Calligraphy” and, together with his son Wang Xianzhi, is collectively referred to as the “Two Wangs.” Wang Xizhi excelled in clerical, cursive, regular, and running scripts. He meticulously studied the structure and style of calligraphy, emulated and refined techniques from various masters, and integrated diverse styles into a unique and influential approach of his own, breaking away from the brushwork styles of the Han and Wei periods. His masterpieces include the Yellow Court Scripture, Ode to Yue Yi, Seventeen Letters, Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion, and First Moon Letter, among which the Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion is hailed as the “Number One Running Script in the World.” Wang Xizhi passed away in 361 AD... More information about Wang Xizhi++

Lu Xiujing (406–477 AD), courtesy name Yuande, was a follower of the Celestial Master Taoism of the Liu Song Dynasty. A native of Dongqian (modern-day Dongqian, Huzhou, Zhejiang), he came from a noble family and was a descendant of Lu Kai, the chancellor of the Wu Kingdom during the Three Kingdoms period. He had a deep love for literature and extensively studied astrology. Early in life, he became a Taoist monk, enjoyed traveling to remote sacred places, and journeyed to famous mountains such as Mount Yunmeng, Mount Heng, Mount Luofu, and Mount Emei. Around 453 AD, toward the end of the Yuanjia era, he “sold medicine in the capital (present-day Nanjing).” When Emperor Wen of the Song Dynasty heard of his reputation and admired his virtue, he ordered Left Vice Director Xu Zhan to invite him to the palace to preach Taoism. Unwilling to be confined, Lu Xiujing firmly declined the invitation, “and thus traveled south of the Yangtze River,” continuing to spread Taoist teachings across the land. In the fifth year of the Daming era (4... More information about Lu Xiujing++