Huayan Scenic Area

Huayan Tourist Scenic Area

Huayan Tourist Scenic Area is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

The Huayan Scenic Area is located in Jiulongpo District, in the southwestern suburbs of Chongqing, about 23 kilometers from the city center. The scenic area combines temples, lakes, gardens, forests, mountains, and caves, offering serene and unique landscapes that make it an ideal destination for worshippers to pray and meditate, as well as for travelers and tourists to enjoy sightseeing.

The Huayan Scenic Area is a typical temple garden. Huayan Temple is one of the famous temples in eastern Sichuan and one of the top ten Buddhist monasteries in Southwest China. It has had 62 abbots over more than 330 years of history. The temple halls are majestic and magnificent, with thriving incense offerings and solemn Buddha statues. Moreover, the area is celebrated for its Eight Scenic Spots: Moonlit Heavenly Pool, Pine Waves on Paling Ridge, Distant Temple Bells at Dusk, Rain in Sparse Woods, Twin Peaks Standing Verdant, Ancient Cave with Fish Sounds, Flowing Stream in Sunset Hues, and Cold Cliff Spraying Snow. These spots are rich in poetic charm and Buddhist serenity, creating a spectacular scene. Among them, "Flowing Stream in Sunset Hues" is listed as one of Chongqing’s Minor Ten Scenic Spots. The ancient architecture within the scenic area is grand in scale, featuring painted beams and carved railings, and is a key cultural relic protected by Chongqing Municipality. The scenic gardens possess unique charm, with rolling hills, secluded paths, ancient trees, murmuring springs, misty lake waters, and lotus flowers drinking dew—offering tranquil and serene views.

Huayan has been widely renowned since ancient times, attracting a gathering of cultural figures. Throughout history, numerous literati, officials, and celebrities have visited, either seeking tranquility and exploring antiquity or visiting monks to discuss Zen. They left behind hundreds of precious poems, couplets, plaques, and inscriptions. There are also many fascinating legends and enchanting stories that linger in memory.

Huayan Temple has a long history and is a renowned temple in Sichuan, one of the top ten Buddhist monasteries in Southwest China. Known as the “Sacred Realm of Bashan,” it is a municipal-level cultural relic protection unit in Chongqing. Also called Huayan Temple (Flower Rock Temple), it earned its name because during rainfall, spring water from the mountain cave cascades down from the cave’s roof like scattered flowers. Legend says that as early as the Tang Dynasty, devotees built huts here to worship the Buddha, and the temple was constructed during the Ming Dynasty’s Wanli era. Through renovations and expansions, Huayan Temple now covers an area of 3.3 hectares, with a total construction area of 14,000 square meters. It consists of the main buildings, the Jieyin Hall, and the Huayan Cave. The structures are well-preserved, exquisitely beautiful, grand, and magnificent. Huayan Temple enjoys widespread fame, attracting worshippers and tourists every year from Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia, and is renowned overseas.

The Huayan Scenic Area features historical and religious sites such as ancient temples, stupas, stone carvings, sculptures, and old bridges, as well as eight traditional cultural landscapes: “Moonlit Heavenly Pool,” “Windswept Pine Waves,” “Distant Temple Bells at Dusk,” “Rain in Sparse Woods,” “Twin Peaks Standing Verdant,” “Ancient Cave with Rain Sounds,” “Flowing Stream in Sunset Hues,” and “Cold Cliff Spraying Snow.” It also includes eight new cultural landscapes under development: “Green Wave Reflections,” “Clear Streams Merging into the Sea,” “Gazing at the Sky in Prayer,” “Waterfalls Echoing Buddhist Chants,” “Green Mountains and Secluded Homes,” “Fragrant Memories,” “Osmanthus Fragrance Lingering,” and “Sunlit Lotus Flowers.” Among them, “Flowing Stream in Sunset Hues” is listed as one of Chongqing’s Minor Ten Scenic Spots.

In 1937, Huayan Temple established the Huayan Buddhist Academy. In May 2005, the Southwest China Buddhist College—the only higher religious educational institution in the region approved by the State Administration for Religious Affairs—was officially inaugurated within the scenic area.