Tiger Head Mountain Yongfu Temple

Tiger Head Mountain Yongfu Temple

Tiger Head Mountain Yongfu Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Yongfu Temple is located at the southern foot of Tiger Head Mountain in Jiangzhou Town, Raoping County, Guangdong Province. It was founded during the Song Dynasty by Monk Wenyi. Sharing the same lineage as Houshan Longfu Temple—tracing back to Nanhua, Lingshan, Longfu, and Yongfu—it is thus known as the “Twin Blessings of Yingpeng.” Over the dynasties, it experienced ups and downs, and was repurposed during the Cultural Revolution. After the reform and opening-up, the current abbot, Master Guanghui, campaigned extensively to raise funds and rebuild the temple at a new site. The new temple covers an area of over 20,000 square meters, facing the sea to the front and backed by Crane Peak, with General Hill rising to the east and Lotus Hill arching to the west, offering picturesque scenery. The temple is enclosed by walls, and along the central axis are, in sequence, the Mountain Gate, Heavenly King Hall, Mahavira Hall, and Scripture Depository; on the east side are the Sangharama Hall, Kṣitigarbha Hall, Manjusri Pavilion, and Bell Tower; on the west are the Xuan Tian Shang Di Hall, Guanyin Pavilion, Samantabhadra Pavilion, and Drum Tower. There is also a dining hall, guest hall, warehouse, Merit Hall, funeral parlor, stupa courtyard, Cide Pavilion, and a liberation pond. There are three stupas, with the one on the east enshrining the relics of American Master Genzao, housing over a hundred sariras. Stone tablets bear inscriptions from renowned figures and elders such as Zhao Puchu, Qi Gong, and Master Zhicheng.

The current abbot of Yongfu Temple, Master Guanghui, aged 65, is from Raoping County, Guangdong Province. He became a monk in April 1946 under Master Xinxī and also serves as an executive director of the Guangdong Buddhist Association, vice president of the Buddhist Associations of Shantou City, Chaoyang City, and Raoping County, a member of the Raoping County Political Consultative Conference, and the first seat and guest prefect of Lingshan Temple in Chaoyang. The current supervisor, Master Ruda, aged 28, is also from Raoping County, Guangdong Province. He became a monk in 1987 under Master Yaowen, graduated from the Buddhist Academy of Nanhua Temple in Shaoguan, Guangdong, and also serves as an executive director of the Raoping County Buddhist Association, as well as supervisor and guest prefect of Yongfu Temple.

Yongfu Temple has a construction area of 150 square meters. In front of the standard Buddhist deities, the Heavenly Supreme Deity is enshrined, reflecting the Sinicization of Buddhism. To the northwest of the temple is a well known as the “Buddha Spring,” with clear and sweet water that visitors eagerly drink.

Source: Raoping County People's Government Website

Jiangzhou Town: Jiangzhou, anciently known as Yingzhou, was first established in the late Tang Dynasty and is one of the officially designated towns in Guangdong Province after the founding of the People’s Republic. Located in the southern coastal area of Raoping County, west of the 300 Gates Port in Chaozhou City, the town covers a total area of 42.6 square kilometers, with a coastline of 10.5 kilometers and a marine area of 26.4 square kilometers. It boasts abundant marine resources and ranks among the top in the county for mariculture, particularly for its fat, delicious, and market-favored hanging-cultured oysters (commonly known as “big oysters”), which are sold both domestically and internationally, earning it the reputation as the “Home of Big Oysters.” The town’s land area is 16.2 square kilometers, including a town area of 4 square... More details about Jiangzhou Town++