Chongqing Hot Spring Temple

Chongqing Hot Spring Temple

Chongqing Hot Spring Temple is a cultural relic protection unit of Chongqing Municipality.

In ancient times, the Hot Spring Temple was a branch of the Jinyun Temple. It boasted magnificent halls, numerous stone carvings, and flourishing incense offerings. However, it suffered severe damage during the two Buddhist persecutions carried out by Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou Dynasty and Emperor Wuzong of the Tang Dynasty. During the reign of Emperor Zhenzong of the Tang Dynasty, the temple was rebuilt, and cliffside Buddha statues were carved into the rocks on the mountainside behind the temple. In the fourth year of the Jingde era of the Northern Song Dynasty (1007), the Hot Spring Temple was officially bestowed the title of Chongsheng Chan Monastery by the imperial court. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the Hot Spring Temple can be considered to have been in its golden age. The temple buildings were reconstructed, and a Guest-Reception Pavilion was built in front of the temple, while a pool was constructed behind the temple to catch the flowing spring water. Covering an area of four zhang (approximately 13 meters) square, the pool was covered with a pavilion overhead so that visitors could bathe in it in both sunny and rainy weather. Utilizing the hot spring water source and the terrain, attractions such as the Fish-Playing Pond and the Half-Moon Pond were also built for visitors to enjoy.

In February 1259, Möngke Khan advanced on Fishing Town in Hechuan. Having conquered vast territories with relentless success, Möngke found himself unable to breach the defenses of Fishing Town under the fierce resistance of its commander Wang Jian and deputy commander Zhang Jun. In July 1259, Möngke was wounded by a cannon shot from the city and later died at the Hot Spring Temple.

As a branch of the Jinyun Temple, it was established in the first year of the Jingping era of the Liu Song Dynasty of the Southern Dynasties (423 AD). After the establishment of the Dongyang Commandery during the Qi Dynasty, the temple enjoyed a period of thriving incense offerings, with magnificent halls and numerous stone carvings. However, it suffered serious damage during the persecutions by Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou Dynasty and Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. During the reign of Emperor Zhenzong of the Tang Dynasty, Zen Master Jingman of Yougu purified and rebuilt the temple, carving cliffside Buddha statues into the rocks on the mountainside. In the first year of the Qianfu era of the Tang Dynasty (874 AD), Monk Hongji conducted another round of renovations. According to Wang Xiangzhi’s "Yudi Jisheng · Scenic Spots of Chongqing Prefecture (Part 2)," it is recorded: “The Hot Spring Temple was established during the Qianfu era of the Tang Dynasty.” Poets of the Tang Dynasty such as Chen Yubai, Wang Wei, Du Fu, and Li Shangyin all visited or stayed at the Hot Spring Temple. Sikong Tu once wrote a poem here: “The mountain’s form and earth’s veins are naturally cool, not bringing rain but offering thermal springs. Herbs, fish, and turtles are steamed and boiled, while the pagoda and monastery thrive in this setting.”

In the fourth year of the Jingde era of the Northern Song Dynasty (1007), the Hot Spring Temple was bestowed the title of Chongsheng Chan Monastery by the imperial court. Prime Minister Ding Wei visited and composed a five-character regulated verse titled "Visiting the Hot Spring Temple," which includes the lines: “Guests leave new verses, while the idle chant old texts.” This reflects that many notable scholars of the time left poems here. According to the "Chongqing Prefecture Annals," "Bishan County Annals," and "Ba County Annals," the Hot Spring Temple was described as having “numerous inscribed poems” and “a forest of poetic steles.” Between the Jingde and Dazhong Xiangfu eras of the Northern Song Dynasty, Peng Yingqiu, a local official, served as an acting magistrate on his way to take up a post in Hezhou. He stayed overnight at the Hot Spring Temple and inscribed a five-character regulated verse titled "Staying Overnight at the Hot Spring Buddhist Temple" on the temple wall, which reads: “Official duties allow no leisure days; I’ve just found time to stay in this serene place. I begin to feel monks know no worldly sorrow. The hot spring roars in the ancient cave; the cold chime echoes through the lofty tower. All night long, sleep is forgotten—I wonder if I’m in Mount Wozhou.”

In the first year of the Jiayou era (1056), the Neo-Confucian scholar Zhou Dunyi, serving as an official in the Ba Chuan Commandery, moored his boat at Wen Tang Gorge and read this poem. He was full of praise and wrote a preface that was engraved on a stone tablet erected in the Hot Spring Temple, creating a poetic legacy in the temple's history. Sixteen-three years later, in the winter of the 12th year of the Jiading era of the Southern Song Dynasty (1219), Tu Xingshan, the prefect of Chongqing, rediscovered this long-lost stele, treasured it like a gem, had it reproduced, and wrote a colophon for it, which was included in the "Collected Works of Zhou Lianxi."

In the first year of the Kaixing era of the Southern Song Dynasty (1259), Möngke Khan, the Great Khan of the Yuan Dynasty, led his army in the attack on Fishing Town in Hezhou. He was struck by a cannonball and died at the Hot Spring Temple. The "Hezhou Annals" from the Ming Dynasty’s Wanli era records: “The Great Khan of the Yuan Dynasty was injured by a cannon blast, fell ill, and on his retreat to Choujun Mountain, his condition worsened... Passing by Jinqian Mountain and Wen Tang Gorge in Jinjian, he passed away.” Since then, the name of the Hot Spring Temple has been recorded in official history.

The Ming and Qing dynasties can be considered the golden age of the Hot Spring Temple. During the Chenghua era of the Ming Dynasty, the temple was rebuilt, and a Guest-Reception Pavilion was built in front of the temple, while a pool was constructed behind the temple to catch the flowing spring water. Covering an area of four zhang (approximately 13 meters) square, the pool was covered with a pavilion overhead so that visitors could bathe in it in both sunny and rainy weather. Utilizing the hot spring water source and the terrain, attractions such as the Fish-Playing Pond and the Half-Moon Pond were also built for visitors to enjoy. At this time, the Hot Spring Temple attracted a continuous stream of pilgrims and tourists. There were civil officials, military officers, poets, monks, and laypeople—all coming to admire the mountains and waters and compose poetry. Poet Liu Daokai visited and wrote the poem "Hot Spring Temple," with a note at the end: “Located between Ba and Hezhou, it is the second of the Three Gorges.” The poem reads: “Twin cliffs embrace the royal abode, the secluded valley and deep woods offer peace. A few tall pines cradle wild cranes, a warm pool teems with sacred fish. Monks lack the White Society’s wine, but guests enjoy reading by green beans. The purity of Shu roads is true wealth—after the drumbeats, none rivals the start.”

The "Ba County Annals" from the Qing Dynasty’s Qianlong era states: “Climbing the stone steps from the riverbank, one arrives at the Hot Spring Temple. The cliffs rise thousands of ren high, ancient trees twist like dragons, and spring water gushes from the roots of clouds, flowing out through crevices in harmony with the pine waves. The water is crystal clear without any sediment or sulfur smell. In the past, people built a pool to catch the flow, covering an area of about four zhang square, with a pavilion overhead, allowing bathing even in the bitter cold... The spring flows around the towering cliffs, converging into a large pool in front of the Mahavira Hall, where green algae float unevenly amid boiling waters and red fish swim. Then it winds back through corridors to outside the mountain gate, where it cascades down the cliffs as a waterfall, sounding like jade and flying snow, descending through the clouds—it is arguably the finest of all hot springs.” The "Chongqing Prefecture Annals" describes: “The Chongsheng Temple of the Hot Spring is located southwest of the gorge, with numerous inscribed poems and stone carvings.” The "Bishan County Annals" states: “Spring water gushes out like soup, boiling hot enough for bathing, with numerous poetic inscriptions by visitors.” To this day, more than ten Ming Dynasty stone poem steles and dozens of poems remain. From the Ming Dynasty until the Tongzhi era of the Qing Dynasty, the Hot Spring Temple flourished. It had vast estates, many monks, and was the wealthiest in the region. It was said, “Three thousand at Wen, eight hundred at Chan, and the monks of Shanmuchuan are not to be trifled with,” showing the extent of its influence.

The existing Hot Spring Temple is a structure from the Ming and Qing dynasties, divided into four main halls: the Guan Yu Hall, the Guide Hall, the Great Buddha Hall, and the Guanyin Hall. When it was rebuilt during the Chenghua era of the Ming Dynasty, it had one gate and three halls. In the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty, the mountain gate was converted into the Guan Yu Hall, and in the Tongzhi era, the Guanyin Hall was rebuilt as the Iron Tile Hall.