Buddhist Ruins of Wuzhong Mountain

Buddhist Ruins of Wuzhong Mountain

The Buddhist Ruins of Wuzhong Mountain are designated as a cultural relic protection unit of Sichuan Province.

Wuzhong Mountain is a significant Buddhist site along the ancient route from Sichuan to India (the Southern Silk Road) in China. Originally named Daguangming Mountain, it is also known as Tiancheng Mountain or Wushan. It is situated in Wushan Township, 25 kilometers north of Dayi County and 80 kilometers from Chengdu. The main peak reaches an altitude of 1,638 meters. The area is surrounded by mountains such as Jiulong Mountain and Jingang Mountain to the north, and Hongyan Mountain to the west, spanning dozens of square kilometers with 72 peaks. It earned the name Wuzhong Mountain ("Fog-Shrouded Mountain") due to being perpetually enshrouded in mist. It is also one of the ancient Eight Scenic Spots of Dayi.

The temples of Wuzhong Mountain were first built in the 16th year of the Yongping era during the Eastern Han Dynasty (73 AD), just six years after the construction of China’s first Buddhist temple, the White Horse Temple in Luoyang. Originally named Puzhao Chan Temple on Daguangming Mountain, it was expanded during the Yonghe period of the Jin Dynasty (345–356 AD) under the guidance of the eminent monk Fotudeng from Central Asia and renamed Xianying Temple on Tiancheng Mountain by imperial decree. During the Tang Dynasty under Emperor Gaozong (650–683 AD), monks Sengqie and Senghu resided here, and the temple's original name, Puzhao Temple on Wuzhong Mountain, was restored by imperial order. By the time of the Ming Dynasty’s Emperor Xuanzong (1426–1435 AD), it was renamed Kaihua Temple, the name that has been used ever since. At its peak, Wuzhong Mountain was home to numerous temples—within an area stretching from Lianghekou in the north to Longwo in the south—that were exclusively occupied by monks, numbering in the thousands. However, these were later destroyed during the chaos caused by Zhang Xianzhong’s rebellion in the late Ming Dynasty. Although most of the structures were restored during the Qing Dynasty, they suffered further damage during the Cultural Revolution. Still, many stone relics and ancient temple halls remain today. In 1985, the Chengdu Municipal Government listed it as a municipal-level cultural relic protection unit; in 1992, it was approved as an official Buddhist activity site. It is often referred to as the “Old Summer Palace of Chinese Buddhism.”

Protected Area: The site boundary extends 10 meters beyond the current ruins' perimeter.

Construction Control Zone: The protected area extends an additional 40 meters outward.

Location of the Attraction

Wushan Township, Dayi County, Sichuan Province