Piled Stone Rock

Piled Stone Rock

Those who have watched the TV series *Dream of the Red Chamber* will surely remember the meteorite from the opening scene, inscribed with the lines “No talent to mend the heavens, yet I’ve wandered in the mortal world for so many years.”

About two kilometers west of Xiongzhen Pass in the central eastern part of the island’s eastern half, you’ll reach the area of Ma’an Mountain on the eastern flank of Guolao Mountain. Gazing at the undulating mountain ridges, the first thing that catches your eye is the massive rock on the western slope, as if it had fallen from the sky. It rests stably atop another huge, towering rock — this is the spectacular sight of Piled Stone on Nan’ao Island. It evokes the legend of the spiritual and sentient stone left behind beneath Qinggeng Peak by Nüwa after she mended the heavens. Nearly a hundred meters down the slope of Piled Stone lies the world-renowned Piled Stone Rock Temple. The temple was founded by the eminent monk Shi Renzhi, a native of Lao Yuan Village, Yun’ao, on Nan’ao Island.

In the late years of the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty, in search of a place for spiritual cultivation, Shi Zhirun left the Buddhist temple at Xiongzhen Pass where he had taken his monastic vows and came here. He found the surroundings filled with grotesque rocks, a clear spring in the midst, and to the south, the Yun’ao seascape — vast and misty, dotted with sails and shimmering waves. To the north, halfway up the mountainside, there was a spacious natural cave that could accommodate many people, cool and refreshing, with a spring gushing out from a crevice — truly a blessed land. Overjoyed, Monk Renzhi, with astonishing perseverance, carved out stone chambers: one served as a meditation room, and the other as living quarters. He also personally carved a regular-script Chinese character “Fu” (meaning “blessing”) nearly two meters in size on the cave wall. Above the door of the meditation room, on the cliff, he engraved the three characters “Piled Stone Rock.” It is said that Shi Zhirun was a monk of profound cultivation and deep knowledge of Buddhist teachings. In his youth, he traveled elsewhere for study and was appointed abbot of Xianqin Temple in Yixing County, Jiangsu Province. The renowned eminent monk Master Xuyun once visited the temple to pay homage and learn from him. After Shi Zhirun returned to Piled Stone Rock, followers flocked to the site. From then on, more and more people came to seek his teachings, and many outstanding disciples emerged. The Piled Stone Rock Temple gradually expanded, with major renovations taking place in 1990 and 1992. The initiative and direction for these projects were led by Shi Dinggen, the descendant of the temple’s abbot and former president of the Shantou Buddhist Association. Determined to revive the ancestral temple, despite his advanced age, he planned, connected resources, and raised funds. In 1990, he renovated the Piled Stone Rock Temple, adding the Prajna Hall, monks' quarters, and an outer courtyard. He also obtained an inscribed plaque for the temple gate with the characters “Piled Stone Rock,” personally written by Zhao Puchu, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and President of the Buddhist Association of China. His disciple Shi Dingchi composed the couplet: “In the deep spring among overlapping ridges, only white clouds drift through yellow folds; on the slippery stone path, red leaves fall onto emerald cliffs.” In 1992, Shi Dinggen further expanded the temple, constructing a high platform, a grand hall, and golden statues of Vajra guardians, integrating the new and old structures seamlessly. At the center of the Mahavira Hall stand three white marble Buddha statues: the Sakyamuni Buddha is about 1.7 meters tall with a white jade lotus pedestal of 1.08 meters, while the two accompanying bodhisattvas, including their pedestals, are approximately 2.5 meters tall. The white marble statue of Guanyin in the Guanyin Pavilion stands over two meters tall. In the Fu Character Hall, a seated white marble statue of Monk Renzhi is enshrined for visitors to pay respects. Beside the wall, a spring flows out, known as the “Spring of Wisdom.” The expanded Piled Stone Rock Temple is also called the “Piled Stone Jade Buddha Temple.” The lineage and spirit of Piled Stone Rock have extended overseas, with all followers regarding it as the ancestral temple. In 1944, Chen Guanglie, a scholar from Chaoshan and chief compiler of the *Nan’ao County Annals*, inscribed and carved the four characters “Tian Nan Fa Ru” (Heavenly Southern Dharma Milk) on a huge rock — a phrase embodying the meaning of this Buddhist sect.

Stepping out of the temple gate and about to descend the steps, you’ll suddenly see a Buddhist pagoda rising over ten meters high on a small slope to the left. This is the “Thousand Buddha Pagoda,” named for the thousands of stone Buddha images carved into its body, with an even larger Buddha figure standing inside the pagoda chamber. This is a recent masterpiece of the Piled Stone Temple, forming a new attraction on the “Heavenly Southern Dharma Milk” Piled Stone Rock, echoing the distant “Buddha” character, two meters in diameter, also carved into the rocks on the western ridge.

Address: Nan’ao Island, Nan’ao County, Shantou City

Recommended visiting time: 1–2 hours