Zhenfo Mountain Temple Complex

Zhenfo Mountain Temple Complex

The Zhenfo Mountain Temple Complex is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Zhenfo Mountain Temple Complex is located 200 meters south of Qinghe Village, Fushan Township, Daxian County, Sichuan Province, 29 kilometers from downtown Dazhou City, at an altitude of 710 meters. The temple complex covers an area of nearly 40,000 square meters, with a built-up area of nearly 15,000 square meters. Surrounded by undulating mountains and shaded by pine and cypress trees, the mountain is named after the temples, and the temples are built along the mountain’s contours. The layout is rigorous, the arrangement is staggered, the styles are distinctive, and the momentum is majestic. It is a uniquely characteristic religious temple architectural complex in northeastern Sichuan. In 1991, it was announced as a Provincial-level Cultural Relics Protection Unit and also designated as a Provincial-level Scenic Area.

The Zhenfo Mountain Temple Complex was first built in the 18th year of the Daoguang reign during the Qing Dynasty (1838). By around 1847, it had already taken initial shape, with flourishing incense offerings and a monastic community that once numbered over 80 monks. Since then, it has undergone many vicissitudes, suffered repeated disasters, and been continuously restored, surviving to this day.

The Zhenfo Mountain Temple Complex features a structure primarily made of wood and stone. From west to east, the buildings along the central axis are, in sequence: the Mountain Gate, the Theater Tower, the Heavenly King Hall, the Heavenly Emperor Hall, the Dehua Temple, and the Mahavira Hall. They are arranged in a trapezoidal formation, ascending step by step to the mountaintop. Together with the auxiliary buildings, all adopt a courtyard layout. From the mountain foot to the Mountain Gate, there are 1,179 stone steps with a slope of sixty degrees.

The Zhenfo Mountain temples currently house nearly a thousand statues and carvings, 25 pairs of couplets, 20 plaques, and several murals. The extant scriptures include one volume of *The Western Robe Sutra*, three volumes of *The Diamond Sutra* (upper, middle, and lower), one volume of *The Avalokiteshvara Sutra*, one volume of *The Amitabha Sutra*, one volume of *The Compassion Sutra*, one volume of *The Flower Offering Sutra*, one volume of *The Kitchen God Sutra*, and three volumes of *The Maitreya Descends to Be Born Sutra* (upper, middle, and lower).

The Zhenfo Mountain temples are not only ancient and grand in scale, but their architectural structures and construction styles also feature distinctive characteristics, with many sections adopting the practices of official Qing Dynasty architecture.

Additionally, the temples benefit from an exceptionally advantageous location, with rich variations in architectural space. The Zhenfo Mountain area features undulating mountains and lush vegetation, with the temples appearing ethereal amid the clouds, perched high on the mountaintop, offering a panoramic view of the scenic beauty below. It is both “remote and superior,” making visitors feel as though they have escaped the “mortal world” and entered a “pure land.” Throughout the spatial sequence from the Mountain Gate to the Mahavira Hall, the space continuously changes. The symmetrical, harmonious, and towering temple buildings, set against the backdrop of surrounding green pines and cypresses, form an “integrated space,” creating a solemn, serene, mysterious, and somewhat eerie atmosphere. Visitors are invariably captivated by the exquisite architectural artistry and the scenic splendor, lingering there and reluctant to leave.

Protected Area: 20 meters eastward from the back wall of the Mahavira Hall, 50 meters westward from the Mountain Gate, 5 meters southward from the outer walls of the Mountain Gate, Jade Emperor Hall, Heavenly Emperor Hall, Dehua Temple, and Mahavira Hall, and 20 meters northward from the outer walls of the Mountain Gate, Jade Emperor Hall, Heavenly Emperor Hall, Dehua Temple, and Mahavira Hall.

Construction Control Zone: 30 meters eastward, 10 meters southward, 20 meters westward, and 20 meters northward beyond the Protected Area.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units