Shimen Giant Buddha Temple

Shimen Giant Buddha Temple

Shimen Giant Buddha Temple is a national AAA-level tourist attraction and cultural heritage site.

Shimen Giant Buddha Temple is situated on the south bank of the Yangtze River in Pingdengchang, Shimen Town, about 500 meters east of Pingdeng Station on the Chengdu-Chongqing Railway. The temple faces south with its back to the mountains, overlooking the surging Yangtze River to the east and nestled against towering cliffs. Hidden among lush forests and bamboo groves, the cliff carvings of the Shimen Giant Buddha Temple are like a shining pearl embedded along the mighty Yangtze. The integration of temple and Buddha, as well as the harmony between heaven and humanity, have earned it the title of "The First Giant Buddha on the Yangtze River." It is a rare historical and cultural landmark along the river.

According to the *Jiangjin County Annals*, "The Giant Buddha Temple is located a hundred li from the county town, near the Yangtze River at Shimenchang. An ancient giant Buddha was carved on the rock face, standing about ten zhang tall, with a stone to its left resembling a pure vase and another to its right like a parrot. The temple is built against the rock, reaching over ten zhang in height, with seven stories." In the autumn of the 25th year of the Daoguang reign (1845) during the Qing Dynasty, local resident Liu Shaokuan visited the Giant Buddha Temple and inscribed a poem on the left stone wall of the temple, summarizing its terrain and landscape. The poem reads: "The ancient temple stands firm against the rock, / The autumn river brings clarity to the Buddha. / Seven-story pavilion casts its shadow, / Winds and rains sound from three sides. / Remote and seldom visited by travelers, / Mountains echo with the rustle of fallen leaves. / Monks engage in no Buddhist rites, / Leaning on eaves, watching boats pass by."

There is considerable debate among experts about the original location where the Giant Buddha Temple was built. According to the *Records of Scenic Spots in Shu* from the Ming Dynasty's Wanli era: "Forty li west of the county lies Shiyang Post, also known as Shimen, where a giant Buddha is carved on the opposite riverbank, and there is a Giant Buddha Temple, founded by the former prime minister Zhang Wujie..." The Giant Buddha carvings are believed to have been constructed during the Huizong reign of the Song Dynasty. Additionally, based on the *Inscription on the Reconstruction of the Giant Buddha Temple* from the 8th year of the Tongzhi reign (1896) during the Qing Dynasty, as well as the style and carving techniques of the statues, the Shimen Giant Buddha Temple cliff carvings are thought to date back to the early Ming Dynasty. The current temple structure was rebuilt during the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty, and underwent another renovation in the 8th year of the Tongzhi reign. In the early years of the Republic of China, further repairs were made.

The temple grounds slope from low in the south to high in the north and are built against the cliff. Stone paths wind down from both the east and west sides of the cliff to the riverside and connect to the temple. Inside, the temple follows a traditional three-courtyard layout, with side rooms on either side and the main hall in the center, which is divided into the Child-Giving Hall, Guanyin Hall, and Thunder God Hall. The stone-carved statue inside the temple is a 13.5-meter-tall statue of Guanyin.

The mountain gate of the Giant Buddha Temple is a four-pillared, hip-and-gable roof structure modeled after a memorial archway. It is three bays wide—1 meter, 2 meters, and 1 meter respectively—with a depth of 3 meters. The surrounding wall runs parallel to the gate and features small roofing that mimics the gate’s design. The gate’s roof is elegantly designed with three tiers of eaves and fourteen wing corners, each adorned with chiwen ornaments. At the top, stone carvings depict the Tang monk and his disciples on their journey to the West to retrieve Buddhist scriptures. Fifteen steps lead up to the gate, and in front lies a crescent-shaped stone platform covering about 150 square meters. To prevent visitors from accidentally falling off the steep cliff, a stone railing approximately 1.3 meters high surrounds the area. The railing is simple yet solemn, with a sturdy structure.

The Shimen Giant Buddha Temple is a seven-tiered wooden structure, a quintessential example of high-rise architecture from China’s Qing Dynasty. Built against the mountain and facing the Yangtze River, the temple features overlapping tiers with upturned eaves, exuding grandeur and majesty. The temple and its stone carvings are the crystallization of the wisdom of the ancient laboring people of Jiangjin, holding significant historical, scientific, and artistic value. The decision to build the Shimen Giant Buddha Temple cliff carvings along the Yangtze River carries not only religious significance but also played a crucial role in controlling water disasters, making it an important subject of study for understanding the region’s ancient water management systems.

The total floor area of the Giant Buddha Temple is 720 square meters. Below the main hall are two sections of steps: the upper section consists of seven-tiered steps, while the lower section has sixteen steps. The main hall features a seven-tiered hip-and-gable roof covered with glazed tiles, adorned with a treasure bottle at the center and chiwen ornaments on each wing corner. It employs a raised-beam construction method. The hall is three bays wide (22.1 meters) and two bays deep (8 meters), with a total height of 24.84 meters. The side rooms are built with a combination of stone and wood, featuring a flush gable roof covered with small green tiles, a through-tenon beam structure, six pillars with four through-tenons, five bays wide (17 meters), one bay deep (4 meters), and a height of 4.5 meters. The entire mountain gate is built against the cliff, with a rigorous structure and an imposing appearance.

The most striking feature of the Giant Buddha Temple is its cliff-carved statue—the Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin) statue standing on a lotus pedestal. Facing south, the statue stands 13.5 meters tall, with shoulders 5.9 meters wide and a chest 5.2 meters thick. The carving is exquisitely detailed, with smooth lines, a strong sense of three-dimensionality, and exceptional aesthetic appeal. The Guanyin statue has a kind and serene expression, appearing dignified and graceful. It wears a precious crown adorned with a smiling arhat. The statue is dressed in celestial robes and ribbons, with its entire body gilded and painted. Its chest is decorated with necklaces, and its abdomen hangs with ornaments. It sits leisurely atop a lotus, with its left foot slightly raised and resting on a lotus leaf. The left hand rests on the left knee, while the right hand hangs naturally. The expression is tranquil, radiating nobility and freedom. The statue is majestic and lifelike. It is the largest lotus-standing Guanyin statue in China and ranks ninth among all Buddha statues nationwide. During the Cultural Revolution, the statue was nearly destroyed, and the surrounding flying Apsaras carvings and inscriptions have since disappeared.