White Crane Mountain

White Crane Mountain

White Crane Mountain is located three kilometers west of Qionglai City. With its verdant hills, ancient charm, lush pine trees, and hidden temples, towers, and cultural relics, this is the renowned White Crane Mountain of Western Sichuan.

The name "White Crane Mountain" first appeared in the "Biographies of Elders from Yizhou" written by Chen Shou, a historian of the Jin Dynasty: "Hu An, a native of Qionglai, gathered disciples on White Crane Mountain, and Sima Xiangru studied under him." The Song Dynasty poet Lu You visited Qionglai and White Crane Mountain, and wrote the poem "In Response to Prefect Yuwen's Mountain Excursion," noting in his own commentary: "The immortal Hu An cultivated Taoism on the western cliffs and ascended to heaven riding a white crane, hence the mountain was named after him." On the mountain there is an ancient temple called Helin Temple. Originally built during the Sui and Tang Dynasties as Baihe Temple, it was later renamed. Wei Liaoweng of the Song Dynasty noted in "Records on the Construction of Baihe Mountain in Qiongzhou": "The mountain has long been a place of Buddhist worship, with fourteen monasteries and temples built here from the Sui Dynasty to the present." The Mahavira Hall preserved in the temple was rebuilt in the sixth year of the Tianshun era (1462) of Emperor Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty by the monk Xinxian, making it 550 years old. The structure is a single-eave hip-and-gable roof style. The temple currently covers over 30 acres, with halls and auxiliary rooms spanning more than 5,000 square meters. It is home to over 20 nuns and is a key provincial religious site. The three characters "Helin Temple" carved on the temple gate are in regular script by Zhao Puchu, former president of the Buddhist Association of China.

Behind the Mahavira Hall is one of the Eight Scenic Spots of Linqiong, the "Scholar’s Stage and Osmanthus Shadows," built to commemorate the study pavilion of Chang Anmin from the Song Dynasty. The study pavilion was rebuilt in the second year of the Yongzheng era (1724) of the Qing Dynasty. Chang Anmin, a native of Linqiong, once served as the Transport Commissioner of Zhejiang and the Judicial Officer of Kaifeng Prefecture. Known for his uprightness, he was ostracized and demoted for refusing to flatter the powerful official Cai Jing, and spent over 20 years in exile. He was later posthumously honored as Imperial Counselor, and the study pavilion was built in his memory. The statue of Chang Anmin no longer exists, but around 1980 a new statue of the Southern Song Dynasty poet Wei Liaoweng was erected and has since been open to the public.

The Siming Tower, originally located on the left side inside the first gate of Helin Temple, was destroyed. It was rebuilt in 1989 behind the Mahavira Hall on the left. Climbing the tower and gazing from the railing offers a refreshing view, with the ancient city of Qionglai and the picturesque rolling hills of the southwest spread out below.

Exiting the back gate of Helin Temple, you’ll walk along a path lined with ancient pines. Amid the deep, lush greenery stands a massive rock over ten feet tall, resembling a crouching rabbit. Atop the boulder are two long stones shaped like rabbit ears — this is the legendary "Jade Rabbit Stone." The earliest written record of the Jade Rabbit Stone comes from Wei Liaoweng’s "Record of the Construction of Heshan" in the Song Dynasty: "Where the white crane has its platform, the jade rabbit leaves its trace." To the right of the back hill of Helin Temple is a large man-made cave carved into the rock, known as the "Pointing at the Yi Cave." Legend says it was where the famous Western Han Dynasty astrologer Hu An gathered disciples to teach the "Book of Changes." Beside the Pointing at the Yi Cave is a cliff carving of the Maitreya Buddha, a rock-hewn grotto along the western cliff.

The grotto is over two meters deep and nearly ten meters high. The Maitreya Buddha statue is carved directly from the rock, standing nearly five meters tall, seated cross-legged on a hexagonal Sumeru pedestal. Carved in the fifth year of the Republic of China (1916), it is the largest and youngest cliff-carved Maitreya Buddha statue in China. On the back hill of Helin Temple on White Crane Mountain, according to the county annals, lies the tomb of a Linqiong Taoist priest. This refers to the famous love story in Bai Juyi’s "Song of Everlasting Regret," where Emperor Xuanzong of Tang summoned a Linqiong Taoist priest to summon the spirit of the deceased Yang Guifei: "The Linqiong Taoist, a visitor from Hongdu, used his sincere devotion to recall her spirit." Though the tomb of the Linqiong Taoist has been destroyed, the historical tale remains, stirring the imagination and evoking deep emotion.

Location

Western suburbs of Qionglai City, Sichuan Province