Ruins of Lingfeng Temple

Lingfeng Temple Ruins

The Lingfeng Temple ruins are a cultural heritage site protected at the municipal level in Linyi City.

The ruins of Lingfeng Temple are located west of Shanbeitou Village, Xiacun Township, Lanling County, Linyi City, on the eastern side of Baodugu Mountain. The original construction date is unknown. It was successively rebuilt in the fifth year of the Yuantong era of the Yuan Dynasty (1345), the fifth year of the Chenghua era of the Ming Dynasty (1469), and the tenth year of the Wanli era (1582). The site faces south and retains structures spread over 50 meters from east to west and 90 meters from north to south, covering an area of 4,500 square meters. Preserved features include remnants of a Buddhist tower and bell-drum towers, mostly built with a stone-and-timber structure as two-story buildings. Currently, the roofs have collapsed, leaving only wall foundations. The remaining Buddhist tower structure faces south, has five bays, is 12 meters wide and 8 meters deep, with a remaining height of 10 meters. The lintel above the entrance is inscribed with four characters: “释加文佛” (Shakyamuni Buddha). Above the north wall door is inscribed “灵峰大寺” (Great Lingfeng Temple). The wall foundation is about 10 meters high. The remaining western drum tower structure measures 8.6 meters from east to west and 9.50 meters from north to south. The remaining eastern bell tower structure measures 5 meters from east to west and 9 meters from north to south. On the eastern side, the bell tower has stone steles embedded on both sides. The northern one is inscribed with “重修灵峰寺碑记” (Record of the Reconstruction of Lingfeng Temple). Within the temple courtyard, there are more than ten steles from the Ming and Qing dynasties recording reconstructions, most of which are damaged. Among them, standing on the west side inside the mountain gate, there is the “Record of the Reconstruction of Lingfeng Temple on Tiantai Mountain of the Lu Mansion,” made of bluestone with a square base and round top. It is 2.7 meters high, 1 meter wide, and 0.21 meters thick, erected in the tenth year of the Wanli era (1582). The top features 13 seal characters, and the body contains over 650 characters in regular script. It describes the geographical environment of Lingfeng Temple, the origin of the name Baodugu, the temple’s flourishing period after its reconstruction in 1345, and the details of this particular reconstruction. To its north stands the “Tiantai Mountain Lingfeng Temple Stele,” erected in the thirteenth year of the Yongzheng era.

The Lingfeng Temple ruins are among the fourth batch of municipal-level cultural heritage protection units.