Nanshan Temple

Nanshan Temple

Nanshan Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Nanshan Temple is located in the Nanshan Mountain, 1.5 kilometers south of Liping County. According to the Liping Prefecture Annals: “Nanshan is covered with overlapping ridges and lush forests. Three temples were built here during the Ming Dynasty, attracting a continuous stream of visitors, making it the most scenic spot. The paths up Nanshan Mountain are paved with cobblestones, winding and twisting their way up from the foot of the mountain. Beside the path halfway up the mountain lies a flat area with a stone stele inscribed with ‘Nanshan Blessed Land.’ The path continues all the way to the Great Buddha Hall. On the side of the hall is an octagonal pavilion, outside of which there are three square pools—one for drinking water and two for washing. The spring water is clear and flows year-round.”

Nanshan Temple was “first established in the early Ming Dynasty but was soon destroyed in war. In the 34th year of the Wanli era (1606), Li Sizhong, the regional commander of Liping and Jingzhou, initiated donations for its reconstruction. It was renovated again in the first year of the Jiaqing era (1796).” Nanshan Temple is a complex of buildings featuring architectural styles from both the Ming and Qing dynasties, embodying the solemn dignity of the Ming style as well as the delicate elegance of the Qing style. The temple consists of three halls, built along the mountain slope on the mountainside, with structures ascending layer by layer. The first level is the Great Buddha Hall; the second is the Ling Palace; and the third is the main hall of Baoding Nunnery. The Great Buddha Hall includes the Xijia Pavilion; the Ling Palace includes the Tianxiang Pavilion; there is also the Cuiwei Pavilion, which has been destroyed. The Nanshan Pavilion was built in the third year of the Guangxu era (1877) by Magistrate Yuan Kaidi, and was renovated and funded in the seventeenth year (1891) by Magistrate Yu Wei and County Magistrate Zhao Yihao. The mountain gate of the Great Buddha Hall is made of brick and designed in a spread-out shape. Above the gate is a running script plaque inscribed with “Elegant as the Garden of Eden,” and beside the gate is a pair of engraved regular script couplets: “The tracks of horses and dust of carriages—where does the journey of the world end? The flowers of the mountain and the moon over the stream—the heart of Zen should arise from here.”