Jinhua An

Jinhua An

Jinhua An is a Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit and part of a National-Level Forest Park.

Jinhua An is located on Gufo Cave Street in Huanglongxi Town, Shuangliu District, Chengdu. Also known as Wangjiang Tower, it was built during the Song Dynasty and rebuilt in the 45th year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty through donations raised by Zhang Shiguan from Luzhou. It was once repurposed as a grain storage facility and closed to outsiders, but after the implementation of national protection policies, it has been reopened to the public.

The temple is built on a rocky cliff on the right bank of the Fu River. Following the terrain of the mountain, it consists of five halls and one tower, spanning approximately 30 meters from the lower to the upper levels. A spiral stone staircase carved into the cliff leads up, and the site covers an area of about 2,400 square meters.

The five halls are: First, the South Sea Guanyin Hall, which features a plaque inscribed with the words “Ancient Buddha’s Scenic Realm,” accompanied by the words “First Year of Qiande, Great Song (963 AD).” The cliff wall is engraved with the four large characters “Spiritual Vulture Flies Here.” Inside the hall is a statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva riding a golden dragon, with her back against the mountain and facing the Fu River—thus it is called the “South Sea.” Second, the Three Pure Ones Hall, which houses statues of Taiqing, Shangqing, and Yuqing. Third, the Jade Emperor Hall, featuring statues of the Jade Emperor and the Twenty-Eight Constellations.

To the right of the Great Buddha is a well named “Maomu Well.” Legend says all the timber used in building the temple was retrieved from this well.

There is a stone cave within the temple—the origin of its name “Gufo Cave”—which is believed to be a repurposed ancient cliff tomb.

History

Before the 18th year of the Republic of China (1929), Jinhua An suffered two fires, leaving most of its halls barely standing. Later, through donations, it was restored, but the scale was far smaller than before.

After being converted into a grain warehouse in 1951, it was off-limits to the public, which helped preserve the temple’s Buddhist statues and relics.

In 1984, following the implementation of national cultural relics protection policies, partial renovations were carried out and it was reopened to the public.

Protected Area: The boundary is set 5 meters outside the current perimeter wall.

Construction Control Zone: Extends 30 meters beyond the protected area.

Huanglongxi Town: Located in the southern part of the Chengdu Plain, Huanglongxi Town in Shuangliu County is 40 km from downtown Chengdu, 35 km from Shuangliu County seat, and 28 km from Huayang Town. It is a tourism-oriented town with agriculture as its foundation and has become a new tourism hotspot in the suburbs of Chengdu. This small mountainous town by the river emphasizes tourism as its primary industry and commercial services as secondary, accelerating the development of the tertiary sector while balancing heritage conservation and growth. Huanglongxi is evolving into a well-connected, functionally comprehensive, economically prosperous, culturally vibrant town with convenient transportation, complete infrastructure, and rational layout… [More details about Huanglongxi Town]++

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