Fuguo Temple on Mount Fanjing

Fuguo Temple on Mount Fanjing

Fuguo Temple on Mount Fanjing is a cultural tourism attraction.

Fuguo Temple is situated at the northwest foot of Mount Fanjing, about 11 kilometers from the Golden Summit. It is the essential temple on the western ascent route and was historically known as Tianchi Courtyard or Tianchi Hall. The temple occupies 68 mu, and its construction date is uncertain. In the 46th year of the Wanli era (1618), it was decreed as one of the Four Great Imperial Monasteries of Mount Fanjing. Eminent monks like Mingran Ruitai resided here, upholding the Linji school of Buddhism. During the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, eminent monks such as Huixing Haikuo resided here, and the temple enjoyed great prosperity. In the third year of the Tongzhi reign (1864), Tianchi Courtyard was destroyed in warfare. It was rebuilt in the twelfth year of the Tongzhi reign (1873) and renamed Tianchi Hall. From the first to the sixth year of the Guangxu reign (1875–1880), Liu Man occupied Mount Fanjing, calling himself the Black Earth King. The Governor of Guizhou, Cen Yuying, personally led troops to suppress the rebellion, and Tianchi Hall was once again destroyed in battle. After the war subsided, Cen Yuying opined that “of all frontier regions, none is more critical than Mount Fanjing,” and petitioned the imperial court to “relocate eight military posts under the Songtao Pacification Commissioner to guard the strategic passes around Mount Fanjing” to ensure long-term stability in the region. Among them, the Pacification Commissioner’s garrison was stationed to the left of the former Tianchi Hall site, named “Fuguo Post of Mount Fanjing.” For a long time in history, Fuguo Post became the true administrative center of Mount Fanjing, housing over fifty barracks, with a training ground and horse racing field built to its right. The establishment of Fuguo Post played a crucial role in the revival of Buddhism on Mount Fanjing during the Guangxu era. Later, with the support of Wu Yuelou, the commander of Fuguo Post, the temple was rebuilt and renamed Fuguo Temple.

At an elevation of 1,400 meters, Fuguo Temple sits on high and open terrain, facing south and backed by Elephant Trunk Mountain, with Large and Small Lion Rocks on its east and west sides, creating the appearance of an “elephant trunk supporting” and “two lions bowing to the elephant.” The temple complex is grand in scale, complete in structure, and exquisitely laid out, featuring three main halls and hundreds of guest rooms. With elaborately carved beams and painted rafters, the craftsmanship is exceptional. Ancient trees grow deep within and around the temple, and the sound of bells rings out morning and evening. Behind the temple are two clear springs that meander along its sides, offering cool and refreshing water. Soldiers of Fuguo Post and monks of the temple often organized poetry gatherings and Buddhist ceremonies on Mount Fanjing, attracting literati, poets, devotees, and worshippers, creating a lively atmosphere.

The temple houses numerous inscribed poems and couplets, including the surviving collection titled *Anthology of Verses from the Mount Fanjing Poetry Gatherings*. It also preserves three plaques—“First Mountain in Guizhou,” “Bright and Benevolent Rule,” and “Leader of Guizhou Mountains”—and one long couplet. The three plaques are respectively hung at the mountain gate of Fuguo Temple and the Fuguo Post. Their strokes are bold, and their layouts divine, making them important calligraphic treasures of Mount Fanjing. Among them, the plaque “First Mountain in Guizhou” was written by Yan Yinliang, a renowned calligrapher of the late Qing Dynasty. Measuring 1.55 meters in height, 4.15 meters in width, and 0.45 meters in thickness—with each character approximately 0.31 square meters—it has been included in *China’s Famous Plaques* and is now housed in the Yinjiang Ethnic Exhibition Hall. The long couplet was composed by Yi Peishen, the Guizhou East Circuit Intendant during the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty:

The sacred town of Fuguo stands firm; recalling the turmoil of over ten years past, when miasmic vapors and chaos reigned, and warfare raged—yet fortunate was the temporary halt of the imperial camp. We hacked through thickets, carved paths through the wild, and transformed wild growth into spring. Since then, the Dharma has spread in harmony, bringing countless households under the domain of compassion.

Guizhou’s mountains offer protection; stretching across thousands of miles, where the Li and Yuan rivers flow, and the Heng Mountains stand in view. Deeply ashamed that my footsteps have not yet graced these lands, I gaze into the heart of heaven and peer into the moon’s cave, stirring the winds and clouds until they shift color. I humbly offer this verse, singing in unison the refined odes.

Location of the Attraction

Dayuanzhi Village, Yongyi Township, Yinjiang County, at the western foothills of Mount Fanjing