Xiufeng Temple

Xiufeng Temple

Xiufeng Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Xiufeng Temple

Xiufeng Hotel, to the west, has two large stone tablets standing against the mountain and beside the gate. The one on the west was inscribed by Emperor Kangxi in his own hand with the three characters “Xiufeng Temple” (秀峰寺). The imperial tablet is six feet tall and three feet wide, with vigorous strokes and an elegant spirit. Historical records state: In the spring of the 46th year of Kangxi’s reign (1707), the eminent monk Chaoyuan from Kaixian Temple traveled to Huai'an to welcome the Emperor, accompanying him all the way to Songjiang (today’s Huating County, Shanghai). Master Chaoyuan was highly respected and profoundly learned, winning the special favor of the Emperor. As a result, Emperor Kangxi bestowed an imperial calligraphy plaque inscribed with “Xiufeng Temple.” Later, Governor Lang Tingji commissioned the tablet and Scholar Zha Sheng wrote the inscription. The one on the east was inscribed with three characters “Sa Song Xue” (洒松雪, Scattering Pine Snow) in the handwriting of the Crown Prince Yinzhen. Bai Juyi once praised Mount Lu as the most spectacular under heaven, with towering pines piercing the sky and flying springs like snow. Zhao Mengfu also named his mountain residence “Songxue Studio” (Pine and Snow Studio). Inspired, the prince enthusiastically wrote “Scattering Pine Snow,” and also bestowed upon Zhao Mengfu the painting “Crossing the Sea through Clouds.” Since Emperor Kangxi and his son bestowed the plaque and painting, what was once an auspicious beginning became a place where peaks compete in beauty. The majestic presence of this famous mountain was transformed beyond recognition, “so that everyone in the world now knows of Xiufeng” (Lang Tingji, “Record of Xiufeng Temple”).