Nanshan Scenic Area

Nanshan Scenic Area

Located on the southwestern side of the summit of Nanshan Mountain in the county town. It lies 1 kilometer north of the urban area, faces west while sitting east, covers an area of 170 square meters, and features a post-and-lintel structure. The temple is divided into three main sections: the central part is the main hall, with monk quarters on both sides, and rocky outcrops to the northeast behind the temple. In front of the temple is a 100-square-meter open space, beyond which lies a steep cliff, making the terrain rugged. The temple is surrounded by lush green pines and bamboos, offering a cool summer and warm winter, with pleasant scenery. Originally built during the Tang Dynasty, it was initially named “Qingyin Temple,” renamed “Qingyin Chan Monastery” after expansion during the Song Dynasty. Having undergone several cycles of prosperity and decline, it was renovated by the county government in 1987. The famous Song Dynasty literati Huang Tingjian once wrote “Record of Qingyin Chan Monastery” (the stone engraving of this text is preserved in the Nanshan Stele Corridor). In the spring of the 15th year of the Republic of China, the first Party cell of Duchang County under the Chinese Communist Party was established here. The temple is a county-level cultural relics protection unit.

The elder of Nanshan Temple, Wei, did not understand Su Dongpo’s melancholy and thought the great poet was simply composing a poem about the scenery. He hastily ordered the young novice to prepare writing materials and earnestly asked Su Dongpo to inscribe the poem. Although the original meaning of Su Dongpo’s poem remains elusive to many, his masterful brushwork unintentionally left behind an eternal masterpiece for Duchang. After writing the poem in the temple, Su Dongpo, accompanied by others, visited Ye Lao Spring. Moved by the hermit’s detachment and charmed by the clarity of the spring water, he picked up his brush once again and inscribed the three characters “Ye Lao Quan” (Wild Old Man Spring) on the cliff by the spring, expressing his admiration for the hermit’s transcendent elegance. After Su Dongpo descended the mountain, Wei promptly invited artisans to carve the three characters into the cliff face as they were, and they have been preserved to this day, becoming the foremost of the Eight Scenic Spots of Duchang.