Lingying Shore

Lingying Shore

　 Highlights The Lingying Temple is built against the rock face in the middle of the stone shore, consisting of three levels with a traditional hip-and-gable multi-eave design. Climbing the steps from the southern gate, you will see an archway marked with the words “Lingying Shore.” Passing through the archway, there is a meandering stone pathway along the river, about 100 meters in length, which leads straight to the temple. Behind the temple is a cave, 14 meters deep, 2.7 meters high, and 9 meters wide, with an opening connected to the temple. Inside the cave, there is a raised stone platform about 0.5 meters high, shaped like a bed and referred to as the “Immortal’s Bed,” where a statue of Guanyin (the Goddess of Mercy) is enshrined. Behind the statue, a clear spring trickles continuously without ever drying up, producing sweet-tasting water that people call the “Fairy Spring.” About a hundred stone steps down to the left of the cave, a massive boulder cradles two structures: the Du Gong Pavilion and the Plum Blossom Pavilion. Poetic inscriptions can be found carved into the surrounding rock walls. 　 Introduction Lingying Shore is located on the western bank of the Xiang River at Xiashibu, about 5 kilometers south of Lukou in Zhuzhou County. The Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu once wrote a poem titled “Stopping at Lingying Shore” here. The Northern Song Dynasty master calligrapher Mi Fu inscribed a plaque titled “Huái Dù Yá” (Lamenting Du Fu Cliff). During the Qing Dynasty, a Du Fu Thatched Cottage and the Du Gong Pavilion were built on the left bank. The Lingying Temple was established in the seventh year of the Tianjian era during the Liang Dynasty of the Southern and Northern Dynasties (508), enshrining a statue of Guanyin, hence it is also known as Guanyin Rock. The temple has three levels: the lower level is the Plum Blossom Pavilion, the middle is the Great Mercy Hall, and the upper level is the King Storage Pavilion. The current complex of buildings is built against the cliffs and near the water, arranged in a linear fashion from south to north. It is one of the famous scenic spots along the thousand-mile Xiang River, and there is a local saying: “Above is Lingying Shore, below is Yueyang Tower.” 　 Ticket / Opening Hours 20 RMB.

Zhuzhou City, Hunan Province