Seven Sages Temple

Seven Sages Temple

Qixian Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Qixian Temple

Traveling north along the Three Gorges Stream, just a few hundred meters from Guanyin Bridge, stands an ancient temple renowned throughout the land—this is Qixian Temple, one of the Five Great Monasteries of Mount Lu. Historical records describe this treasured temple as once being extraordinarily picturesque: to its right, a stone cliff rises steeply; to its left, a flowing spring cascades down. Towering peaks and bizarre rocks seem to dance above golden hues; cypress, pine, and bamboo grow wildly, some upright, some askew, while halls, shrines, and pavilions are tucked away within lush greenery. In the seventh year of the Yongming era during the Southern Qi Dynasty (489 AD), Advisory Councillor Zhang Xi petitioned to establish the temple, which was originally located about 10 kilometers west of Jiujiang. In the early Baoli era of the Tang Dynasty, Jiangzhou Prefect Li Bo relocated the temple to the southern side of the mountain, appointing the Chan Master Zhichang (also known as Shiwu, or “Wiping Eyes”) as its abbot. Legend has it that Li Bo once studied here, hence the temple’s original name, Qixian Temple (“Temple of Secluded Sages”). A group of seven scholars once studied together here, which is why it is also called Seven Sages Temple. Over the centuries, battered by wind and frost, wars, and banditry, Qixian Temple has been repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt. The current structure was reconstructed after the liberation.

Qixian Temple was once a sizable ancient architectural complex, having successively included structures such as the Mountain Gate, Buddha Hall, Resident Officials’ Hall, Love Hall, Zhenying Pavilion, Liu Xi Stream Shrine, Jingcheng Hermitage, Shuangjing Tower, Ciyun Nunnery, Cold Spring Pavilion, Five Elders Pavilion, and Jade Abyss Pavilion. None of these structures remain today. They are listed here for travelers interested in historical exploration.