Jianji Temple

Jianji Temple was originally named Tai Xu Temple. Located at the foot of Golden Rooster Peak on the southern side of Mount Lu, it was the practice site of the renowned Taoist priest Lu Xiujing of the Liu Song Dynasty in the Southern Dynasties period. Lu Xiujing had profound knowledge of astrology and a passion for exploring the spiritual realm beyond the mundane. In his youth, he traveled across famous mountains in search of immortality and the dao. In the fifth year of the Daming era of the Liu Song Dynasty (461 AD), he arrived at Mount Lu. Captivated by the beautiful waters and spiritual aura at the base of Golden Rooster Peak, he built a temple there and named it...

Jianji Temple

Jianji Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Jianji Temple was originally named Tai Xu Temple. It is situated at the foot of Golden Rooster Peak on the southern slopes of Mount Lu and served as the practice site of the famous Taoist priest Lu Xiujing of the Liu Song Dynasty during the Southern Dynasties period. Lu Xiujing had extensive knowledge of astrology and loved to explore beyond the secular world. In his youth, he traveled extensively across famous mountains, seeking the way of the immortals and spiritual cultivation. In the fifth year of the Daming era under Emperor Xiaowu of Liu Song (461 AD), he came to Mount Lu. He was enamored with the scenic beauty of the water and mountains beneath Golden Rooster Peak, so he built a temple there and named it Tai Xu. He gathered herbs, refined elixirs, taught disciples, cultivated his spirit in tranquility, and wrote Taoist scriptures. He spent seven years on Mount Lu. After Lu Xiujing’s passing, he was posthumously honored with the title “Master Jian Ji,” which means “simplicity in easing the mind and serenity in distancing from worldly noise.” As a result, Tai Xu Temple was renamed Jianji Temple.

During its time, Jianji Temple was the largest Taoist temple on Mount Lu and even across the Jiangnan region. The temple complex was grand and magnificent, resembling a golden palace with six levels built into the cliffs. Its scripture depository housed 1,228 volumes of Taoist scriptures, precepts, herbal formulas, and talismanic charts, which were bestowed by imperial decree upon Lu Xiujing’s request. It is said these texts were stored in “dragon chests,” showcasing extraordinary craftsmanship—it was the largest Taoist scripture collection of the time.

The surroundings of Jianji Temple boast exceptional scenery: behind the temple are lush ancient camphor trees and 14 Six Dynasties pines planted by Lu Xiujing himself. These ancient pines are described as having “dragon-scale bark and snow-white trunks, shading the sun and piercing the sky”—some sprawling to the ground, others soaring into the clouds. Their gnarled branches and ancient trunks are beyond the depiction of paintings. For over a thousand years, they have remained one of the scenic highlights of Mount Lu. Within the woods are the Pine-Listening Pavilion, White Cloud Hall, Zhenzheng Hall, Elixir-Refining Well, Medicine-Pounding Mortar, Herbal-Washing Pool, and the Star-Worshipping Stone where Lu Xiujing lectured and observed celestial phenomena. Behind the temple lies Bagua Cliff, said to be the spot where Lu Xiujing ascended to immortality.

During the Jin and Tang dynasties, Jianji Temple flourished brilliantly and was renowned throughout the land. However, after the Yuan dynasty, with the loss of imperial patronage for Taoism, Jianji Temple gradually declined, and its former pavilions and towers fell into ruin. In recent years, with the booming development of tourism on Mount Lu and the implementation of religious policies, Jianji Temple has gradually regained public attention, and its reopening is not far off.