Woyun Nunnery on Mount Emei

Woyun Nunnery on Mount Emei

Woyun Nunnery on Mount Emei is a cultural relic protection unit of Sichuan Province.

Woyun Nunnery is located at the altitude of 3,065 meters atop Mount Emei in Sichuan Province. Situated beside the SheShen Rock, with white clouds billowing upwards and the temple seemingly lying amidst the clouds, it earned the name “Woyun” (Lying Cloud). It is now the highest-altitude Han Buddhism temple in China.

The existing Woyun Nunnery is a structure from the late Qing Dynasty, covering a construction area of 1,600 square meters. It is a fully wooden multi-story (the main hall is three stories) suspended-gable courtyard-style temple building, consisting of the Maitreya Hall, Guanyin Hall, Jade Buddha Hall, and side rooms. There are many plaques and couplets both inside and outside the nunnery, among which the gate plaque inscribed with “Woyun Nunnery” and the couplet “The land is vast, Mount Emei at dusk; the mountain is high, Xian Summit in spring” are calligraphic works by the famous painter Wu Zuoren. In front of the hall, there used to be a pool called Ban Yue Pool (“Half Moon Pool”), described as “not more than a few zhang in depth and width, with water seeping up daily, sufficient to quench the thirst of a thousand people.” Hence, it also has other names such as Sacred Spring, Guanyin Water, and Jingluo Spring. Back then, there was also a stone memorial archway called “Men Shen Li Jing” standing by the pool, highlighting the fame of the Sacred Spring. Behind the hall lies the renowned Xiao Du Guang Platform, an ideal spot to view the Golden Summit’s four major wonders: sunrise, sea of clouds, Buddha’s halo, and sacred lamps.

Inside the Jade Buddha Hall, there are also two surviving copper wall fragments from the year 1828 after the original Golden Hall was destroyed. The Golden Hall was restored in 1928 with a brick structure and gilded roof, retaining some of the “Golden Summit” charm. Unfortunately, in 1972, a fire broke out in the TV broadcasting station equipment room within Huazang Temple, which spread to the Golden Hall and Huazang Temple (housing over 2,400 Buddhist relics including the Qing Dynasty’s “Northern Buddhist Canon”), reducing them to ashes.

Protected area: 5 meters beyond the occupied site boundary.

Construction control zone: extends east, south, and north to the cliff edge, and 80 meters westward beyond the protected area.

Temple location: Summit of Mount Emei, Emeishan City, Sichuan Province