Xiwang Mountain

Xiwang Mountain

Location: Also known as Xishan, Xiwang Mountain is located in the central part of Xifeng County, 13 kilometers from the county seat, 85 kilometers south to Guiyang, and 90 kilometers north to Zunyi. The Gui-Zun Expressway, Sichuan-Guizhou Railway, and National Highway 210 run along the mountain. Xiwang Mountain covers a total area of 94 square kilometers, with elevations above 1,220 meters, among which Tuanshan Rock reaches 1,616.2 meters, making it the second highest peak in Xifeng.

Historical Background: During the late Ming Dynasty, Xiwang Mountain was under the jurisdiction of the Anmin of the Shuixi Yi people. At that time, the mountain was a wild and desolate land with few human traces and little cultural development. In the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, after Master Yusu settled here, he led his disciples to cultivate the land with knives and fire, living simply off plants and wild grains, and engaging both farming and meditation. Together with local residents, he built fourteen Linji Sect Buddhist temples centered around Fengchi Temple. The most enduringly renowned are the current Eight Temples. These fourteen temples were largely destroyed during the Taiping Rebellion and the He Erwang (He Desheng) uprising in the Xianfeng and Tongzhi eras. Though repaired several times, only broken steles and remnants of pagodas remain today, resting in this rugged, steep, uniquely peaked mountain covered with vast bamboo forests.

Attraction Overview: Xiwang Mountain features steep, striking peaks, deep valleys, ancient towering trees, bizarre rocks, clear springs and waterfalls, vast bamboo groves, numerous temples, dense scenic spots, and mysterious legends. The mountain is home to 77 families and over 220 species of woody plants, including national second-class protected tree species such as Liriodendron chinense and Eucommia ulmoides, third-class protected species like Ginkgo biloba, Phoebe nanmu, and Cercis chinensis, as well as rare plants such as Cephalotaxus fortunei, Taxus wallichiana var. mairei, and square bamboo. Xiwang Mountain boasts the famous “Eight Great Scenic Spots,” “Twenty-Four Small Scenes,” as well as historical sites such as the “Eight Great Temples” built by monks during the Ming and Qing dynasties and the “Alliance Stele” from the fifth year of the Yongle era in the Ming Dynasty. It served as a prominent center of Buddhism in Southwest China from the Ming and Qing dynasties through the Republican era, with influence extending across Sichuan, Hunan, Hubei, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang provinces.

The Eight Great Scenic Spots refer to natural and Buddhist cultural landscapes such as Phoenix Pool Passing the Lamp, monk Qutan Seeking the Dharma, Heavenly Gate Mist, Rain Flower Waterfall View, Pine Valley Evening Bell, monk Yusu’s Pagoda Courtyard, Heavenly Gate Clear Haze, and Ten Thousand Valleys Calling Yusu.

The Twenty-Four Small Scenes refer to individual natural landscapes such as Bow Mark Celestial Shoes Bridge, Ninety-Turn Cloud Ladder in Hundred Steps, Dharma Subduing the Lion at Yanhua, General Stone Planning at Immortal Peak, Human Realm Fairyland – Ten Thousand Volume Book, Golden Bell Pond in the Deep Forest, Half Lotus Fallen from the Ninth Heaven, and Sharp Blade Across the Sky – Thin Blade Ridge.

The Eight Great Temples refer to the eight most famous ancient temples on Xiwang Mountain: Huayan Temple, Qutan Temple, Fengchi Temple, Zhifei Temple, YuHua Temple, Dongshan Temple, Bao'en Temple, and Wanshou Temple.

As the “First Southern Mountain of Buddhism in the Southwest,” Xiwang Mountain enjoys widespread fame. Its history is recorded in publications such as the China Scenic Spots Dictionary, the Qing Dynasty Unified Gazetteer, the Guizhou General Gazetteer, the Guiyang Prefecture Gazetteer, and the Overview of Guizhou Scenic Sites and Historic Relics.

Eight Temples

The Eight Temples refer to the eight most prominent temples on Xiwang Mountain: Fengchi Temple, Qutan Temple, Huayan Temple, Bao'en Temple, Tayuan Temple, Yongshou Temple, Xi’an Monastery, and Pilu Temple.

1. Fengchi Temple, also known as Mupi Nunnery. Located on the right side of Phoenix Pool at the eastern foot of Tianfeng Ridge on Xiwang Mountain, in the Fengchi Village group of Xicun Village, Xishan Township, it was built by Master Yusu, the founding monk of Xiwang Mountain. In the 10th year of the Yongzheng reign of the Qing Dynasty, Monk Hongliang rebuilt it. It was destroyed during the Xianfeng and Tongzhi turmoils. During the Guangxu period, Monk Fahua rebuilt it again.

2. Huayan Temple

Located in Lianhe Village, Xishan Township, at the foot of Thin Blade Ridge on the western slope of Xiwang Mountain, it was built by Monk Jishou during the Ming Dynasty.

3. Qutan Temple

Located in Kucao Ping Group, Xicun Village, Xishan Township. Built in the 16th year of the Shunzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty by Qutan. It was renovated during the Guangxu period, and the Jade Emperor Hall still remains today.

4. Bao'en Temple

Located halfway up Shuanglin Mountain in Laowo Village group, Laowo Township, on the northwestern slope of Xiwang Mountain. Built during the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty.

5. Tayuan Temple

Located in Fengchi Temple Group, Xicun Village, Xishan Township. Situated below the Phoenix Gully of Xiwang Mountain, it was built during the Ming Dynasty. In front of the temple stands Yusu Pagoda, and beside the pagoda is the Wangsong Stele.

6. Yongshou Temple

Located in Mujiangshan Group, Luwo Village, Xishan Township. Also known as Hanshan Temple. Built by Wang Chong during the Ming Dynasty.

7. Xi’an Monastery

Located in Lianhe Village, Xishan Township. Situated below Huayan Temple on Xiwang Mountain, it was built during the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty.

8. Pilu Temple

Located in Mawotian Village group, Sanyou Village, present-day Luwo Township. Built during the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty.

Eight Scenic Spots

1. Phoenix Pool Passing the Lamp. 2. Qutan Seeking the Dharma.

3. Heavenly Gate Mist (Double-Leaf Gate). 4. Rain Flower Waterfall (Rear Gully)

5. Evening Bell at Songgu (Hougou). 6. Yusu Pagoda Courtyard.

7. Clear Mist over Heavenly Gate (Tuanshan Rock). 8. Ten Thousand Ravines Echo to Song (left side of Fengchi Temple)

Twenty-Four Minor Scenes

1. Bowprint Bridge Where the Immortal Treads the Waves — located at Huojinshan in Luwo Village.

2. Thunderstruck Rock by the Deer Creek — located in Xishan Village.

3. Winding Stream Reaching the Sky from Deer Creek — located in Xishan Village.

4. Bizarre Rocks Linked to Lotus Ridge — situated between Qutan Temple to the north and Fushi Peak.

5. Nine-Twist Cloud Ladder in Five Steps — located in Gumi Sa, Xishan Village.

6. Subduing the Lion with Wonderful Dharma Avatamsaka — on Duwo Ping.

7. Below the Rice Mortar Hole on Duwo Ping — at the top of the Cloud Ladder.

8. Five Elders Holding Courtly Tablets Hidden in the Woods — also known as the Five Elders Peaks.

9. Stone General — at the southern foot of Jiaoding Mountain.

10. Fairy Stone — at the northern foot of Jiaoding Mountain.

11. Iron Enclosure City — beneath Yusu Pagoda.

12. Daring Stone — at the foot of Jiaoding Mountain.

13. Ten Thousand Volume Book — located opposite Tianmen Stone.

14. Jade Milk Spring — located to the left of the Pagoda Courtyard Temple, also called Hexagonal Well.

15. Golden Bell Pond — situated about 100 meters to the right front of Fengchi Temple.

16. Heavenly Wind Ridge — located about 2000 meters behind Fengchi Temple.

17. Half a Lotus Flower — located on the eastern side of Heavenly Wind Ridge.

18. Thousand-Layer Ridge — located at the northern end of Xiwang Mountain, also known as Thousand-Layer Slope.

19. Lotus Ridge — located on the western side of Thousand-Layer Ridge at Xiwang Mountain.

20. Stone Tower Pass — located south of Qutan Temple at Xiwang Mountain.

21. Father Carrying His Daughter-in-Law — located at Yandengpo on Jianfeng Mountain.

22. Thin Blade Ridge — located in the southern section of Xiwang Mountain.

23. Buddhist Incense Bay — located at the southern foot of Thin Blade Ridge.

24. Nine Dragon Ridge — located within Sanyou and Matun Villages in Luwo Township, consisting of nine branching ridges.