Xiushui Huanglong Temple

Xiushui Huanglong Temple

Xiushui Huanglong Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

The ancient Huanglong Temple is located at the eastern foothills of Mufu Mountain, where the borders of Hunan, Hubei, and Jiangxi provinces meet, in Huanglong Village, northwest Xiushui County. During the Song Dynasty, it was one of the Four Great Buddhist Monasteries of southern China and is the birthplace of the Huanglong School of Chinese Zen Buddhism. It was designated as a provincial-level cultural heritage site in 1987.

The temple was first built in the second year of the Qian Ning era of the Tang Dynasty (895 AD) by Master Chaohui. Upon arriving at Huanglong, Master Chaohui remarked, “It gathers the spiritual essence of three mountains and holds the headwaters of nine springs, with nine passes and thirteen locks—this is truly a sacred Buddhist realm.” He then founded Huanglong Temple. According to monastic records, the temple was initially built with nine courtyards in a row, showcasing a grand scale. It included halls such as the Skanda Hall, Heavenly King Hall, Bell and Drum Tower, Vajra Hall, and Mahavira Hall, all of which were imposing in stature. By the late Qing Dynasty and early Republican period, and especially during the ten-year catastrophe of the Cultural Revolution, the temple suffered severe damage—the ancient trees were cut down, the buildings were burned, the sacred bell was smashed, and the Buddha statues were toppled. After many rises and falls, in 1994, two nuns from the county—Renyu and her daughter Weibai—who had been ordained for many years, returned to their hometown to revive local Buddhist teachings. Their presence reignited the long-dormant temple. They restored surviving relics such as the Eastern Abbot’s Quarter and Patriarch Hall. In 1996, Buddhist disciples from Shanghai and other places donated a sacred bell and presented Buddha statues. In 1998, the local government helped build a road leading to the temple. In recent years, the temple’s abbot and others raised funds to renovate the river course at the entrance and restore the temple’s original feng shui landscape. The Japanese Buddhist community has also made several special visits to pay homage at the ancestral temple of Huanglong.

Due to its long history and unique scenery, the ancient Huanglong Temple has attracted many literati and artists throughout the dynasties, such as Wang Anshi, Su Shi, Su Zhe, Huang Tingjian, Zhang Shangying, Lu You, Wan Chengfeng from the Song Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty military strategist Liu Bowen, and Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty. Some of them left cliff inscriptions such as “Spiritual Spring,” “Huanglong Mountain,” “Dharma Cave,” “Three Passes,” and “Jade Cloud Cave,” all of which remain well-preserved. However, other relics (and objects), having endured the passage of time and vicissitudes, have survived only in small numbers, evoking a sense of regret.