Shangquan Temple

Shangquan Temple

Shangquan Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Wang Fagui

Located at the eastern foot of Lingjiu Mountain, about 15 kilometers north of Jingmen City, there is an ancient spring. Because its water gushes upward, it is called Shangquan. It is unknown when Shangquan first appeared. Legend has it that during the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317–420), the eminent monk Yuan Gong built a temple by the spring, and the temple was named Shangquan Temple after the spring, indicating its long history.

In the summer and autumn of 1192 during the Southern Song Dynasty’s Shaoxi era, Jingmen suffered a severe drought. Magistrate Xiangshan composed the “Prayer for Rain in Jingmen,” listing Shangquan alongside Baiqing in the east, Guishan in the south, Yuquan in the west, and Mengquan in the center, stating that “all are spiritually efficacious and revered by the land. Whether in drought or flood, they share responsibility with the local officials.” Soon after, Magistrate Xiangshan also wrote the “Prayer for Rain at Shangquan and Longtan.” Reading these two writings offers a glimpse into the sacred status of Shangquan and its waters in the eyes of the people of the Song Dynasty.

The Qing-era “Annals of Jingmen Direct-Controlled Prefecture” recorded that during the Northern Song’s Xining era (1068–1078), items such as spinning wheels flowed out from Shangquan, likely because the spring was connected to Shu (Sichuan). There was first a pool. The pool site leaned against the mountain and faced a cliff, with steep and rugged rocks, spanning over 10 zhang in circumference. The shore was covered with towering trees, among which stood several ancient trees with leaves like …

holly, bearing bright red fruits shaped like small persimmons. The pool water flowed day and night, never drying up throughout the year, and could irrigate thousands of acres of fertile fields. In the pool grew golden lotus flowers that bloomed all four seasons, floating on the water without breaking the surface, adding a delightful charm. To the right of the pool was a stone crevice, several zhang in length, which during heavy rains would spout water more than a zhang high, resembling a waterfall, commonly known as the “water screen.” Above the spring stood the Wenchang Pavilion, a three-story square-shaped ancient building with a hundred rooms. Later, due to the passage of time, the spring gradually silted up, the temple collapsed, and the pavilion and rooms deteriorated. In the 19th year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1754), the spring was dredged, the temple repaired, and the pavilion and rooms restored. Today, the ancient spring remains, the trees still stand, and the Wenchang Pavilion has been converted into a nursing home. Lingjiu Mountain has become a tranquil place where elders enjoy their retirement and visitors explore the area’s history and serenity.

(Originally published in “Dongbao Literary History,” First Series)

Source: Dongbao District Government