Baofeng Xiangshan Temple

Baofeng Xiangshan Temple

Baofeng Xiangshan Temple is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

Pingdingshan Xiangshan Temple is located about 100 kilometers south of Mount Song, the Central Sacred Mountain, situated to the south of Nao'dian Town in Baofeng County and 3 kilometers north of the new urban area of Pingdingshan City. It lies atop the peaks of Daxiang Mountain, part of the Funiu Mountain range, and is officially known as Xiangshan Pumen Chan Temple.

Historically, due to changes in administrative jurisdiction, it has been referred to as "Ruzhou Xiangshan Temple" and "Baofeng Xiangshan Temple." It is one of the early Buddhist temples in China and holds an important and irreplaceable position in the history of Chinese Buddhism and Guanyin culture, with very prominent religious and cultural roots.

Pingdingshan Xiangshan Temple was built in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, around the Guanghe era of Emperor Ling, approximately a hundred years after the construction of the White Horse Temple. It has endured through the Han, Wei, Jin, Northern and Southern Dynasties, Sui, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, boasting a history of over 1,800 years. Due to its location in the Central Plains, it suffered repeated destruction and rebuilding due to dynastic changes and warfare. In the 1950s, some halls built during the Ming and Qing dynasties still remained, but they were completely destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. Monks were expelled, and buildings were demolished. Today’s Xiangshan Temple complex, apart from the thousand-year-old pagoda and over ten ancient steles, has been gradually restored after the Cultural Revolution with the support of both public efforts and government initiatives.

Historically, Pingdingshan Xiangshan Temple was grand in scale. Its main section followed the natural rounded topography of Xiang Mountain, maintaining a mandala-style layout centered around a pagoda with halls arranged on all sides. The overall distribution spans three mountain peaks, presenting a pattern with Xiang Mountain at the center, flanked by East and West Dragon Mountains, extending out from the foothills and including the West Courtyard and South Courtyard. There were also many branch temples distributed in surrounding areas. Throughout various dynasties, Xiangshan Temple typically included structures such as a mountain gate, Vajra Hall, Heavenly King Hall, Skanda Hall, Guan Yu Hall, Maitreya Hall, Four-faced Buddha Hall, Guanyin Hall, Mahavira Hall, Sangharama Hall, Patriarch Hall, Sixth Patriarch Hall, Kṣitigarbha Hall, Guangsheng Hall, Mountain God Hall, Bao Gong Hall, Scripture Repository, Dharma Hall, Meditation Hall, Guest Hall, Bell Tower, Abbot’s Quarters, and Kuixing Tower, as well as Buddhist stupas, memorial stupas, and stone pillars.

According to historical records, the scale of Xiangshan Temple expanded continuously during the Song, Jin, Yuan, and Ming dynasties, reaching its peak in the Ming Dynasty. In the fourth year of Shaosheng during the Song Dynasty (1097), the imperial court issued an edict defining the temple’s boundaries, covering a total area of over 50 square kilometers. Cumulatively, the temple was granted over 20,000 mu of farmland and more than 10,000 mu of forest land by successive dynasties. In the 25th year of Dading during the Jin Dynasty (1185), Princess Tangguo, the second daughter of Emperor Shizong of Jin, along with her husband, Grand Guardian and Duke of Guangping Commandery Wulingda, Ulin’datiansi, donated funds to rebuild Xiangshan Temple, making it “twice as large as the original.” According to a Jin Dynasty stele: “Since the Song Yuanyou era, abbots have successively renovated and maintained the temple, passing down its beauty.” In the 15th year of Zhiyuan during the Yuan Dynasty (1278), upon the petition of Master Yufeng Miaojian, the emperor issued an edict and erected the “Xiangshan Temple Land Boundary Public Document,” further clarifying the boundaries. The temple was then renamed “Xiangshan Shifang Da Pumen Chan Temple.” In the second year of TianShun during the Ming Dynasty (1458), Emperor Yingzong bestowed the plaque “Xiangshan Da Pumen Chan Temple,” and both the mountain and temple flourished. At that time, Xiangshan Temple had 16 branch temples, distributed across Baofeng, Lushan, Jiaxian, Fangcheng, and Mixian, making it the undisputed Buddhist center of southwestern Henan.

After the late Qing Dynasty, Xiangshan Temple gradually declined. Since the reform and opening-up period, it has been gradually restored.

The Great Compassion Guanyin Pagoda was commissioned in the first year of Xining during the reign of Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty (1068 AD). It is an octagonal, nine-story, dense-eave brick pagoda. The pagoda stands 33 meters tall, with a simple yet majestic and imposing design. The base is constructed from red stone, with a central shrine enshrining the Thousand-Handed and Thousand-Eyed Buddha. The northern wall features a mural, and within the arched tunnel beneath the pagoda lies the “Xiangshan Great Compassion Bodhisattva Biography” stele. The second floor originally housed a jade Buddha, now missing. The third and fourth floors contain several niches, while the other levels are built with plain blue bricks. The sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth floors feature arched doorways on the exterior, with the fourth floor having a caisson-style opening. Each level is adorned with corbelled brick eaves, above which are flat terraces that project from the walls, gradually decreasing in size from bottom to top, forming an octagonal pyramid. The structure is solid and rigorously built. Each corner has a bracket arm with wind bells, though few remain. The pagoda is topped with a finial, beneath which is an inverted bowl, a central gem, and a spire of disks. The finial is exquisitely delicate and uniquely charming.

Experts believe that the Great Compassion Guanyin Pagoda provides important physical evidence for studying brick-and-stone architecture and high-rise pagoda construction techniques during the Song Dynasty in China.

Wang Baozheng, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Guanyin Culture Research Center and Vice President of the City Daxiang Mountain Guanyin Culture Research Association, believes that the Guanyin Pagoda is the iconic structure of Xiangshan Temple, holding significant religious symbolism. Its outline is parabolic, resembling a cone from a distance and a bullet tip, rich in rhythmic variation, delicate and graceful, yet appearing majestic and towering up close. The pagoda’s layered appearance resembles pavilions, with heights and diameters sharply tapering from the fourth floor upward. The entire pagoda combines elaborate decoration with simplicity, embodying the bold and restrained style of Tang Dynasty pagodas as well as the intricate refinement of Song Dynasty ones. It is a treasured gem of the temple and, together with the Cai Jing Stele, strongly supports the historical claim that Pingdingshan Xiangshan Temple is the place where the Sinicized Guanyin attained enlightenment.

Xiangshan Temple currently houses 13 steles, among which the “Xiangshan Great Compassion Bodhisattva Biography” stele (authored by Jiang Zhiqu and inscribed by Cai Jing), the “Record of the Reconstruction of Ruzhou Xiangshan Guanyin Chan Monastery” stele (authored by Ulin’datiansi and inscribed by Shiqian), the “Record of the Renovation of Xiangshan Guanyin Bodhisattva Pagoda” stele (authored and inscribed by Liu Ruozai), and the “Record of the Reconstruction of Xiangshan Great Compassion Guanyin Bodhisattva Pumen Chan Temple” stele (authored by Fan Wencheng and inscribed by Fan Chengzu) are considered the “Four Famous Steles of Xiangshan Temple” due to their highest historical, documentary, calligraphic, and religious cultural value.

According to scholar Pan Minzhong’s research, the “Xiangshan Great Compassion Bodhisattva Biography” stele originates from November of the second year of Yuanyou during the reign of Emperor Zhezong of the Song Dynasty (1099 AD). At that time, the abbot of Xiangshan Temple, Huaizhou, obtained a scroll of the “Xiangshan Great Compassion Bodhisattva Biography” from a wandering monk at Lingying Temple on Zhongnan Mountain and invited the newly appointed prefect Jiang Zhiqu to refine the text. After careful study, Jiang composed the text, which was inscribed by Cai Jing. This stele is one of the few surviving masterpieces of Cai Jing’s regular script and is extremely precious.

The “Record of the Reconstruction of Ruzhou Xiangshan Guanyin Chan Monastery” stele, authored by Ulin’datiansi and inscribed by Shiqian, is commonly known as the “Princess Tangguo Stele.” Princess Tangguo was the second daughter of Emperor Shizong of Jin, Wanyan Yong, and was deeply favored by her father. Wanyan Yong initially married her to the Jurchen noble Tudan Sidong, who died shortly after. She was then remarried to Ulin’datiansi, the third son of Wulin’datui Hui, Commander of the Central Capital Troops. In the later years of the Dading era (Jin Dynasty reign title), Emperor Shizong appointed Ulin’datiansi as the Military Governor of Henan Circuit, stationed in Luoyang, and Princess Tangguo accompanied him. In Luoyang, she obtained a copy of the “Ruzhou Xiangshan Great Compassion Bodhisattva Biography” and felt a deep connection between the Bodhisattva Guanyin and her own nature. She reported to her father, requesting the construction of a Xiangshan Temple near the Central Capital to enshrine the compassionate and salvific Guanyin Bodhisattva, ensuring the prosperity of the Jin Dynasty and the salvation of its people. Consequently, Emperor Shizong decided to build a Xiangshan Temple near the Central Capital, modeled after the Ruzhou Xiangshan Temple where the Sinicized Guanyin attained enlightenment. He ordered court geomancers to survey the terrain in the western suburbs. The temple was completed in the spring of 1186. On the day of the consecration of the Thousand-Handed and Thousand-Eyed Guanyin Bodhisattva at the Central Capital Xiangshan Temple, Princess Tangguo and her husband Ulin’datiansi traveled from Luoyang to Ruzhou Xiangshan Temple, observing fasting and purification rituals. On the morning of the fifteenth day, as the eastern sky glowed with radiant light and a five-colored cloud appeared, the Guanyin Pagoda shone brilliantly. Overjoyed, the royal couple prayed and requested the descent of the Guanyin Bodhisattva to the Central Capital Xiangshan Temple. To this end, Princess Tangguo vowed to expand and renovate the Xiangshan Guanyin Chan Monastery. Soon after, the expansion project was completed, and Ulin’datiansi invited the renowned calligrapher Shiqian of Luoyang to inscribe the “Record of the Reconstruction of Ruzhou Xiangshan Guanyin Chan Monastery,” which was then engraved on the stele. Epigraphers have praised it as “the finest Jin Dynasty engraving, unsurpassed by any other.”

The “Record of the Renovation of Xiangshan Guanyin Bodhisattva Pagoda” stele, authored and inscribed by Liu Ruozai, is commonly known as the “Liu Zhuangyuan Stele.” After 560 years of weathering, the Guanyin Pagoda showed signs of deterioration by the first year of Chongzhen during the Ming Dynasty (1628) and urgently needed restoration. The then-abbot of Xiangshan Temple, Fushu, assigned the local gentry Du Qizhao of Baofeng to oversee the renovation. Du Qizhao, a prominent figure in Baofeng County, had a brother, Du Qibai, who was a successful imperial examination graduate serving as an official in Yunnan. The Du family was devoutly Buddhist and held considerable influence among officials, gentry, and commoners. With the support of Baofeng County Magistrate Shi Keluo, Henan Provincial Censor Liu Lingyu, and Fan Tingbi (former Baofeng magistrate and then prefect of Hanyang), as well as donations from hundreds of local residents, the renovation commenced in the first month of that year and was completed in a year and nine months. To commemorate the event, Du Qizhao went to the capital to seek out Liu Ruozai, the Zhuangyuan (top imperial examination graduate) of the 1628 Chongzhen Wu Chen Examination, Hanlin Academician, and official historian, to author and inscribe the “Record of the Renovation of Xiangshan Guanyin Bodhisattva Pagoda.” Liu readily agreed, composing and writing the text in cursive script on the spot.

The “Record of the Reconstruction of Xiangshan Great Compassion Guanyin Bodhisattva Pumen Chan Temple” stele, authored by Fan Wencheng and inscribed by Fan Chengzu, is commonly known as the “Fan Wencheng Stele.” Fan Wencheng was the foremost civil official during the founding of the Qing Dynasty and held the highest political and cultural status among all authors of the countless steles at Xiangshan Temple. After the Qing entered the Central Plains, Fan Wencheng’s nephew Fan Chengzu served in Luoyang and deeply understood the Qing court’s policy of promoting Buddhism to stabilize the populace and consolidate power after taking control of China. During his inspection of Ruzhou, he found that famous temples such as Fengxue Temple and Xiangshan Temple had suffered severe damage due to the transition from the Ming to the Qing Dynasty, with dilapidated halls and scattered monks. He actively promoted the restoration of these temples. The project began in the autumn of 1654 and was completed the following summer. When Fan Chengzu returned to the capital to report, he introduced to Fan Wencheng the significance of Xiangshan Temple in Baofeng, Ruzhou, as the place where the Guanyin Bodhisattva attained enlightenment. He described the octagonal, nine-story pagoda built in 1068 under imperial decree, the stele in the arched tunnel beneath the pagoda authored by Jiang Zhiqu, the Prefect of Ruzhou, detailing the life and enlightenment of the Sinicized Guanyin Bodhisattva, and the beautiful surroundings of the temple. Fan Wencheng believed that promoting the filial piety of Guanyin Bodhisattva and advocating governance through filial piety could alleviate the spiritual anxiety of scholars during the transition between dynasties and help them willingly accept the new regime. Thus, he gladly wrote the “Record of the Reconstruction of Xiangshan Great Compassion Guanyin Bodhisattva Pumen Chan Temple.” The text begins with common filial piety parables such as “the crow repays its parents” and “the lamb kneels to nurse,” and concludes with the line: “The present emperor’s compassion and filial piety are the foundation of good governance,” with a clear theme, smooth writing, and concise expression.

The temple was designated as a county-level cultural relics protection unit by the Baofeng County Government in February 1982 and as a second batch Henan Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit by the Henan Provincial Government in November 1986.

The pagoda and steles hold significant historical, scientific, and artistic value, providing valuable physical evidence for the study of the origins of Guanyin culture and Song Dynasty architectural art.

Admission: 5 RMB

Location

Baofeng County, Pingdingshan City, Henan Province