Rao Ping Jinguang Temple

Rao Ping Jinguang Temple

Rao Ping Jinguang Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Jinguang Temple on Dalingshan Mountain in Qunxing District, Gaotang Town, Rao Ping County, has been reconstructed since 1989. Thanks to the hard fundraising efforts led by female lay Buddhist Wu Chujun and generous donations from monastic and lay devotees at home and abroad such as Abbot Shi Hongguang, the temple has cleared mountains, built roads, cut slopes, and erected structures. With numerous halls and a grand, majestic scale, as well as the clear "Crane-Attracting Spring," it stands as a rising star among Buddhist temples in eastern Guangdong.

It is said that during the Tang Dynasty, a Jinguang Nunnery was built here but later fell into disrepair, leaving only remnants of walls. In the early Ming Dynasty, the geomancer He Yeyun, known as "Lice Mother Immortal," came to evaluate the land and praised it as an auspicious feng shui site, leaving behind the saying that burying someone here when “a carp jumps onto a tree” would produce a noble person. Starting in 1989, local female lay Buddhist Wu Chujun and others made a grand vow to rebuild a large-scale temple here. Year by year, they carved out the mountain to construct the temple, and now it has reached a considerable size, adding a rather imposing new temple to Rao County.

The temple faces southeast and is nestled against the northwest mountain slope, with a total construction area exceeding 1,000 square meters and total investment surpassing 10 million yuan. To date, it has completed the Right Zhunputi Hall (over 300 square meters), Left Jade Buddha Hall (200 square meters), rear Twin Guanyin Halls (200 square meters each), Thai Buddha Hall (150 square meters), as well as offices, monks’ quarters, and dining halls. The Guanyin Hall houses a 3.4-ton bronze Thai-style Thousand-Armed Guanyin statue. The entrance of the Zhunputi Hall features six tall, exquisitely carved stone dragon pillars, which are truly a refreshing sight. In front of the hall sits a massive 600-kilogram iron incense burner, broad and lofty, with tendrils of incense smoke curling upwards. The Jade Buddha Hall enshrines an 8-ton white jade Buddha from Myanmar, flanked by statues of Manjushri and Samantabhadra. The Thai Buddha Hall contains a large Thai Buddha statue, accompanied by arhats Arahat Alana and Arahat Kashyapa, along with a grand bell and drum. Majestic, classic, richly adorned, and deeply enchanting.

One marvel of the temple is the Crane-Attracting Spring, also known as the “No. 1 Spring of Eastern Lingnan.” In 1989, during excavation and temple construction, workers first unearthed a rock over one meter high and nearly one meter wide, resembling the Maitreya Buddha (now carved and enshrined in the Maitreya Hall). Beneath the rock, two springs were discovered about two meters apart, flowing abundantly with sweet, refreshing water—not only suitable for drinking but also serving as an inexhaustible water source for construction. Amazingly, two wells were then built around them. Due to the presence of Crane Mountain to the north and several crane-like peaks across the border in Fujian, the spring was named “Crane-Attracting Spring.” In 1995, Chen Xianzhong, Vice Minister of the Propaganda Department of the Chaozhou Municipal Committee, named it the “No. 1 Spring of Eastern Lingnan” and had the name inscribed on a stone tablet erected there.

Source: Chaozhou Government Website

Gaotang Town: Located in the suburbs of the county seat, Gaotang Town covers an area of 26.5 square kilometers, governs 12 village committees, and has a total population of 20,000. Blessed with splendid landscapes, rich culture, abundant resources, and numerous tourist attractions, the town is famous for its premium produce, especially "Gaotang Pickled Vegetables," known throughout history. The town enjoys well-connected road networks: the spacious Gaotang Avenue runs through the town and connects to National Highway 324, while the Shanhui Expressway passes through the urban area. The town also boasts rich water and electricity resources: it is connected to the provincial power grid, has an 850-kilowatt Gaotang Sluice Power Station, and hosts a provincial 220,000-volt substation within the town. There is also a daily water supply capacity of... More details about Gaotang Town++