Kuishan Temple

Kuishan Temple

Kuishan Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Kuishan Temple gets its name from being built atop Kuishan Mountain. It is located south of Penglaistown, flanked in front by a green lion and white elephant, with the Qijiang River winding around like a jade belt. Behind it lies the Five Phoenixes Facing the Sun, with cymbals and bronze drums; to the left is the Cat Guarding the Plate and the Stone Pavilion Welcoming Ten Thousand Buddhas, while to the right stands the Golden Zen Dragon-Protecting Cave and the Gem-Stone Dragon Crossing the River. Kuishan Mountain originates from the main ridge of Mount Longquan in Emei and is also known as Writing Rock. It is situated south of Penglaistown, with a relative height of 95 meters and an elevation of 380 meters. The mountain is largely composed of shale and loose soil, except for one lone rock standing at the summit, shaped like the tip of a pagoda. The rock is hard and fine-textured, seamless, with one side—facing north—sheer as if cut by a knife and flat as glass. A giant “Kui (魁)” character is carved into this cliff face. People therefore call the “Northeast Phoenix”—one of the “Five Phoenixes Facing the Sun”—Kuishan Mountain.

The “Kui” character is 5 meters tall and 4 meters wide, written in standard regular script, in intaglio form, with the deepest stroke being 4 centimeters and the widest stroke measuring 40 centimeters across. The calligraphy is neat, powerful yet spirited—grand without being loose, dense without being cramped, well-proportioned, symmetrical on both sides, with strokes as sharp as iron and curves as sleek as silver, vigorous and forceful. The brushwork is fluid, combining suppleness with strength, making it a rare cultural treasure. After meticulous carving, the characters were painted with lime, making them clean, bright, and clearly visible even from several miles away. Who wrote the “Kui” character? Local elders say it was engraved in the 14th year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1705 AD) by Zeng Zhimin. Zeng, who loved calligraphy all his life—especially the “Yong” (eternity) and “Kui” characters—was said to be a merchant from Qu County who came to Peng County to trade. He etched the “Kui” character in hopes that the Kui Star (God of Literature) would “bless his business with prosperity and immense profits.” In the 25th year of the Daoguang reign (1854 AD), the county magistrate Zhang Pan (courtesy name Shanfu, also an artist known by the alias Shu Ba), in admiration of the magnificence and fine craftsmanship of the “Kui” character, carved a one-square-meter “Fu Lu Shou Xi” (Fortune, Prosperity, Longevity, and Happiness) compound character two meters to the lower right of the “Kui,” as a memento. This addition enhanced the site’s charm, thus giving rise to the name “Kuishan.” The “Kui” character survived for over a hundred years until 1953, when the Penglaipacking Factory demolished the surrounding stone wall to use as construction material for a new plant, destroying the beloved “Kui” character. For the next 38 years, the top of Kuishan became a barren hill and remained merely the site of the former “Kui” character.

In 1991, led by Deng Debao, Wang Zhongwen, Liu Yian, and others, with land allocated by the People’s Government of Penglaistown and under the supervision of Master Chen Chonghui from Suining's Lingquan Temple, construction began on Kuishan Temple, along with the demarcation of temple boundaries and landscaping areas. In the spring of 1992, fundraising began among devotees to build the Mahavira Hall, which was completed that same year with an area of about 260 square meters. In 1993, further construction commenced on the guest hall, monks’ quarters, dining hall, tea garden, kitchen, and toilets, covering an area of approximately 560 square meters.

On February 9, 1993, the new temple built atop Kuishan Mountain was officially named Kuishan Temple. The temple was approved for public religious practice by the People’s Government of Pengxi County. In the winter of the same year, the Guanyin Hall was built and completed by the end of the year. In 1994, collapsed battlements were repaired, the tea garden was developed, and in October, a large monetary-offering furnace was constructed, standing 5 meters high and 8 meters wide. The Arhat Hall of Kuishan Temple is located at the Ce'yakou pass between Kuishan Temple and Wufeng Temple in Daying County, southern Kuishan.

In 2002, after three years of dedicated effort, a rare Arhat Hall made of five-hundred jade arhats was completed. The Arhat Hall of Kuishan Temple covers an area of 1,300 square meters, with a built-up area of 800 square meters. The hall faces south and sits north, with its main gate directly facing Penglaistown. The brick-and-concrete structure features red walls and yellow tiles, presenting a magnificent sight. After more than ten years of development, Kuishan has formed a unique layout of “a garden within a temple, and a temple within a garden,” where the scenery is picturesque and visitors abound.