Hailuo Temple Scenic Area

Hailuo Temple Scenic Area

Hailuo Temple Scenic Area is a cultural tourism attraction.

Hailuo Temple is one of the ancient temples in Pingyi County, Shandong Province. Located forty li north of the county town at the western foothills of Mengshan Mountain, it borders the junction of Mengyin and Xintai, flanked by Jiunü Pass on the left and Baima Pass on the right. It boasts a unique geographical environment and beautiful natural scenery.

The temple is embraced by peaks and hidden deep within dense forests. There are waterfalls in the front and rear, clear streams on both sides, overlapping green peaks, and shaded vegetation—everywhere is a scene, and each season brings a different view. In spring: thousands of mountains are cloaked in green, all things vie for vitality, a sea of green, a world of flowers, bees fluttering and butterflies dancing, birds singing and flowers fragrant. In summer: fragrant grass flourishes, clouds steam and rosy clouds glow, mountain streams murmur, water and stones are crystal clear, bathing in mountain streams and resting in tree shade offer a special delight. In autumn: fruit trees are laden with branches, maples are red and pines are dark, with hues of red, orange, yellow, and green, presenting a riot of colors. In winter: dark pines and white snow, rivers flow like melted jade, cliffs hang like jade pillars, everything is covered in silver, offering boundless scenic beauty.

Hailuo Temple is a Buddhist sacred site with a history of a thousand years. In the past, its halls featured blue bricks and Han-style tiles, carved beams and painted rafters, numerous stone tablets, and gatherings of monks. The Mahavira Hall enshrined Sakyamuni and the Eighteen Arhats, the Mountain Gate Hall had the two Guardian Deities, and the Medicine King Hall housed the Medicine King. The bell and drum towers, east wing rooms, southern cottage, theater tower, and stupas were arranged in an orderly fashion, making for a spectacular sight. The ginkgo tree in the temple today has a trunk six Zhang in circumference, with a height from ground to treetop measuring 36.86 meters (recorded), and experts estimate its age to be over a thousand years, drawing admiration from visitors.

Hailuo Temple was built during the Ming Dynasty. With blue bricks and grey tiles, and exquisitely carved beams and grand structures, the temple's ancient monk tombs and stupas are simple yet elegant, showcasing exquisite craftsmanship. Every year on the 15th day of the third lunar month, devout worshippers flock to the temple fair, and incense burning is abundant. The temple houses many ancient and rare trees, offering a pleasant environment. Behind the temple on Dalangshan Mountain stands a huge rock about three meters high, known as the “Standing Ridge Stele.”

Walking to the top and heading east 300 meters from the Standing Ridge Stele to the flagpole, you can look up at the blue sky and white clouds, feeling the vastness of the universe; look down at the vast wilderness, the winding smoke-filled villages, and the rushing river; Jiunü Pass and Baima Pass bustle with traffic, and the scenery of eight surrounding counties unfolds before your eyes. A closer look reveals cliffs with hanging cold trees and murmuring streams in quiet valleys, creating picturesque scenery.

Hailuo Temple has been a gathering place for leisure and rest of scholars and literati throughout history. Activities such as chanting scriptures, playing musical instruments, chess, calligraphy, painting, studying literature, and practicing martial arts have all taken place here. Visitors come year-round, and Buddhist ceremonies and events are held continuously. The annual temple fair on the 15th day of the third lunar month is unprecedentedly grand, with abundant incense burning and widespread fame.

Source: People's Government of Pingyi County