Huihui Temple on Mount Lu

Huihui Temple on Mount Lu

Huihui Temple on Mount Lu is a cultural tourism attraction.

Many people know that Mount Lu has the “Five Great Monasteries” (where “monastery” is a synonym for Buddhist temple). Strangely enough, in modern and contemporary times, the most famous among the “Five Great Monasteries” is not Guizong or Xiufeng, but Huihui Temple, located at the foot of the Five Elders Peaks and not far from Huihui Town. Originally, Huihui Town was commonly known as Chanan. Because during the Song Dynasty, there was a monk who built a tea hut here, providing free tea to travelers in the summer, so even today, the older generation in the vicinity still habitually call this place “Chanan” (also known as Tulou Town). In 1933, Chiang Kai-shek established an Officer Training Corps near Huihui Temple, which led to the renaming of the area as Huihui Town. Huihui Temple was built on the former site of Huihui Hermitage.

Huihui Hermitage was built in the 46th year of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty (1618 AD) by a monk named Xilai. The hermitage backs onto the Five Elders Peaks and faces Poyang Lake. Its name “Huihui,” meaning “where all rivers converge into the sea,” carries the symbolic meaning of unity. In the third year of the Xianfeng era (1853), it was destroyed in war, leaving the buildings in ruins. During the Guangxu era, a monk named Zhishan arrived here. He cut wood and bamboo to build a simple thatched hut where he lived in austere solitude. The official of Gutan Post, Wei Xinglin, often passed by Poyang Lake by boat and, gazing at the misty and beautifully scenic Five Elders Peaks, thought that extraordinary people must reside there. One day, he ventured down to the base of the peaks and saw an old monk meditating in the thatched hut. Wei was filled with deep reverence. After the monk finished meditating, Wei spoke with him and grew even more impressed, eventually kneeling down to pay his respects and acknowledging him as his teacher. After becoming Zhishan’s disciple, Wei Xinglin decided to donate a large sum of money to rebuild Huihui Temple.

The rebuilt Huihui Temple featured grand halls, elegant meditation rooms, and resplendent plaques and inscriptions, attracting a surge in monks and worshippers. The mountain gate bore the inscription “Lotus Sea Realm,” while the second gate was labeled “True Visage.” Outside the mountain gate lay a crescent-shaped lotus pond, three zhang long and five zhang wide, enclosed by stone railings. The railings were carved with over ten Buddhist-themed reliefs, such as “The Tiger Stream Laughter” and “The Flood at Jinshan,” all exquisitely detailed and lifelike. Entering the mountain gate led to the “Amitabha Recitation Hall,” where at the steps grew lotus plants with broad, palm-sized leaves and elegant blooms—said to have been transplanted from Mount Putuo in the South China Sea.

The most renowned feature of Huihui Temple is its three-story Scripture Repository, which houses 50 pages of the “Lotus Sutra” handwritten by Zhao Mengfu, along with over 1,600 wooden printing blocks from more than 26 scriptures... The temple also possesses the 81 volumes of the “Avatamsaka Sutra” written in blood by Master Puchao. Born in 1868, Puchao was well-versed in Confucian studies before becoming a monk and had actively supported Kang Youwei’s reform movement. After the failure of the Hundred Days’ Reform, he became so disheartened that he shaved his head and became a monk. He became a disciple of Zhishan and, to demonstrate his devotion to Buddhism, spent 15 years copying scriptures in his own blood using fine regular script with characters half an inch in size and smooth strokes. After completing the work, Puchao passed away shortly thereafter due to severe blood loss at the age of 45. This blood-written “Avatamsaka Sutra” moved many notable figures, including Kang Youwei, Liang Qichao, Luo Jialun, and Wu Zongci, all of whom inscribed their praises on the scripture, commending Puchao’s religious dedication. The monks of Huihui Temple stored this blood-written scripture in a box made of ginkgo wood. In 1938, when the Japanese invaded Mount Lu, the temple’s abbot, Huitong, fled with this treasure to the border region of Hunan and Guangxi, returning only after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War. Huitong later composed a poem titled “Fleeing in Adversity,” inscribed after the blood scripture, recounting the hardships endured to protect it:

The most famous three-story scripture depository of Huihui Temple treasured 50 pages of the “Lotus Sutra” handwritten by Zhao Mengfu, along with over 1,600 wooden printing blocks from more than 26 scriptures... The temple also possessed the 81 volumes of the “Avatamsaka Sutra” written in blood by Master Puchao. Puchao was born in 1868, was well-versed in Confucianism before becoming a monk, and had actively supported Kang Youwei’s reform movement. After the failure of the Hundred Days’ Reform, he became so disheartened that he shaved his head and became a monk. He became a disciple of Zhishan and, to demonstrate his devotion to Buddhism, spent 15 years copying scriptures in his own blood using fine regular script with characters half an inch in size and smooth strokes. After completing the work, Puchao passed away shortly thereafter due to severe blood loss at the age of 45. This blood-written “Avatamsaka Sutra” moved many notable figures, including Kang Youwei, Liang Qichao, Luo Jialun, and Wu Zongci, all of whom inscribed their praises on the scripture, commending Puchao’s religious dedication. The monks of Huihui Temple stored this blood-written scripture in a box made of ginkgo wood. In 1938, when the Japanese invaded Mount Lu, the temple’s abbot, Huitong, fled with this treasure to the border region of Hunan and Guangxi, returning only after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War. Huitong later composed a poem titled “Fleeing in Adversity,” inscribed after the blood scripture, recounting the hardships endured to protect it:

Dizzy my head and unsteady my feet, my vision blurred,

Thunderous artillery shook the earth and sky.

Silently I wandered paths through clouded caves,

Amid the haste, I checked my monastic robe.

Clasping vines, I leapt over distant ridges,

Shouldering Buddhist scriptures, I wandered the ends of the earth.

I ordered my cat to follow me,

Lest it fall into the hands of the enemy.

This blood scripture is now housed in the Mount Lu Museum. Before the war, Huihui Temple gained prominence also because Chiang Kai-shek established the “Mount Lu Officer Training Corps” here starting July 1933. Initially training mid-to-lower ranking officers below the rank of colonel and above second lieutenant, the scale gradually expanded to include senior officers and even civil officials (such as commissioners and county magistrates).

Chiang Kai-shek chose the area around Huihui Temple for the Officer Training Corps not only for its serene scenery and pleasant springs and rocks—which helped trainees recover from fatigue and improve training effectiveness—but also because the rugged mountains and perilous peaks were ideal for simulating mountain warfare maneuvers, while flat and sloped areas could accommodate training grounds for thousands. Additionally, nearby sites like Huayan Temple, Longyun Temple, and the White Deer Cave Academy offered quiet and elegant accommodations for instructors, German advisors, and staff. Being just over ten li from Xingzi County, transportation was very convenient. The Corps headquarters was set up inside Huihui Temple, with Chen Cheng as commander, Yang Jie, president of the Army University, as the overall instructor, and numerous experienced and knowledgeable military leaders teaching various courses. To facilitate training, Chiang also requisitioned two regiments of soldiers to work day and night on construction. On July 18, the first group of trainees held their opening ceremony. Each session lasted about 20 days, with 1,000 to 2,000 participants. Graduates received diplomas and a short sword known as the “Soldier’s Soul.” Those who did not graduate stayed on for the next session. Over the years, a massive complex emerged around Huihui Temple: an auditorium, main hall, residences for high-ranking officials, offices, classrooms, warehouses, sports fields, swimming pools, and barracks. Chiang frequently visited to deliver speeches, and key central figures like Chen Lifu, Zhu Jiahua, and Zhang Zhizhong were regular visitors. For a time, the place buzzed with high-ranking officials. Over five years, the Mount Lu Officer Training Corps trained 25,041 officers. Just as Chiang sought to expand the training scope further, the Anti-Japanese War broke out in 1937. By late August of that year, the final group of trainees graduated, marking the end of the Corps.

In the summer of 1938, when Japanese forces attacked Mount Lu, Huihui Temple and the buildings of the Officer Training Corps were flattened by artillery fire, reducing the once-bustling training center to ruins. After the war, Huihui Temple was restored, though it never regained its former scale or grandeur. In the years after the founding of the People’s Republic, many new buildings were constructed in the area, first as the campus of the Lushan Branch of the Communist Labor University, then as the site of Jiujiang Normal School. Today, it has become a popular destination for tourism and leisure.

Backed by the Five Elders Peaks and situated at a higher elevation with open terrain and gentle slopes, Huihui Temple is well-suited for growing Mount Lu Cloud Mist Tea and serves as an excellent summer retreat.

· Where Does the Name “Huihui” Come From?

The common belief is that Huihui Temple on Mount Lu gets its name from the idea of “all rivers converging into the sea,” but this interpretation is incomplete.

What does “Huihui” mean? The term originates from the Buddhist scripture “Avatamsaka Sutra.” According to commentators, “sea” symbolizes virtue and multitude, hence the gathering of many eminent monks is called a “Huihui.” Zhao Puchu wrote in “Visiting the Yungang Grottoes and Huayan Temple”: “As if the sacred mountain gathered a Huihui, disciples sat, stood, spoke, were silent, mourned, or rejoiced,” referring to this concept. Zen Buddhism expanded on the original meaning: monks coming to the temple to practice are like all rivers flowing into the sea, sharing the same destination and purpose. Thus, the gathering of monks for practice is called Huihui. Naming a temple “Huihui” transforms a common noun into a proper one, signifying a convergence of virtuous monks engaged in devout practice.

Attraction Location

Huihui Town, Mount Lu District, Jiujiang City, Jiangxi Province