Shuxiang Temple on Mount Wutai

Shuxiang Temple on Mount Wutai

Shuxiang Temple on Mount Wutai is a national key cultural relics protection unit.

Shuxiang Temple is situated at the entrance of Fenglin Valley in Shanxi Province, facing Fanshan Mountain, with elegant scenery. The temple was established during the Yuan Dynasty and was renovated during the Hongzhi and Wanli eras of the Ming Dynasty. It is one of the Five Great Meditation Sites alongside Xiantong Temple, Tayuan Temple, Pusading, and Luohou Mountain, as well as one of the Top Ten Temples of Qing Temples, making it a very famous monastery.

Shuxiang Temple is a national key cultural relics protection unit, located west of the Potala Palace-style Temple and on the northern foothills of Lion Gully. In the 26th year of the Qianlong reign (1761), Emperor Qianlong accompanied the Empress Dowager to Shuxiang Temple, the sacred site of the Bodhisattva Manjushri on Mount Wutai in Shanxi, to offer incense. There, he saw the majestic image of Manjushri, which inspired reverence, and “silently memorized its likeness to bring back.” Buddhist scriptures contain the prophecy that “the principal bodhisattva of the East is Manjushri, who sometimes appears as a monk and sometimes as a king.” Moreover, “Manjushri” is also translated as “Manshu,” which sounds similar to “Manzhou” (Manchuria). Therefore, when the Dalai Lama sent tribute letters to the Qing court, the Qing emperor was referred to as the “Great Emperor Manshu Shili.” Additionally, there were rumors in the Qing court that Emperor Qianlong was born in Lion Gully, Chengde; this led some to speculate that Emperor Qianlong was the reincarnation of Manjushri. Qianlong and the Empress Dowager neither confirmed nor denied these claims, allowing the rumors to circulate. Upon returning to the capital, the Empress Dowager had a stone statue modeled after the Manjushri of Mount Wutai carved and enshrined at Baixiang Temple on Fragrant Hill. In the 39th year of Qianlong’s reign (1774), Qianlong specifically ordered the Imperial Household Department to replicate the layout of Shuxiang Temple on Mount Wutai and to construct this temple in Chengde based on the appearance of the Manjushri at Fragrant Hill. When Shuxiang Temple was completed, Qianlong attended the consecration ceremony and composed a poem: “Shuxiang follows the full model of the temple; on an auspicious day, the celebration marks the worship of Manjushri. Golden scriptures among the Mongols are still common, but does the imperial collection lack its own precious volumes? Translated into the national script to proclaim the Dharma, practiced by monks to support the stupa. Though names and realities aim to match, should Shili mock such claims?” Since the monks of this temple were all Manchus, the Qing court referred to it as the family temple.

Shuxiang Temple is a typical Han-style temple, measuring 115 meters from east to west and about 200 meters from north to south, covering an area of 2.7 hectares. It adopts a garden layout technique, with large-scale rockeries and scattered pine trees, creating its own unique style.

The mountain gate faces south, with a width of three bays and a depth of two bays, featuring a single-eave hip-and-gable roof. Inside, it houses the guardian deities Heng and Ha. A pair of stone lions is placed on either side of the mountain gate, with side gates on both sides. Beyond the gate hall are the bell and drum towers on each side, both with a width of three bays and a depth of one bay, featuring a single-eave hip-and-gable roof. Directly north of the mountain gate is the Heavenly King Hall, with a width of five bays and a depth of two bays, also featuring a single-eave hip-and-gable roof. The front and rear sections are enclosed with wooden paneling, with central bays featuring joyous gates and the side bays having joyous windows. The hall is flanked by side walls that define the first courtyard, with side doors leading to the second courtyard. On the north sides of the Heavenly King Hall are the East and West Side Halls; the East Hall is called Zhanxiang Chamber, and the West Hall is called Yanfan Hall.

The terrain rises north of the Heavenly King Hall, where a series of grand stone steps lead up to the terrace. At the north end of the terrace is the main hall, Huicheng Hall, with a width of seven bays and a depth of five bays, featuring a double-eave yellow glazed hip-and-gable roof. The lower eave is adorned with single-curved, single-rising bracket sets, while the upper eave has double-curved, double-rising bracket sets. The central bays feature diamond-patterned partition doors, with latticed windows on the front eaves, and the rear is a solid wall. Inside the hall is the main statue of the Bodhisattva Manjushri (riding a lion), flanked by Guanyin and Samantabhadra (riding an elephant). On either side of the offering table are eight-sided, three-tiered nanmu wood pagodas. Although the pagodas remain today, the gilded copper Buddha statues were stolen during the tenure of Jiang Guiti as the military governor of Rehe.

The side walls house scripture cabinets containing three sets of the Manchu-language Tripitaka. One set was looted by Japanese imperialism during its invasion of China and is now housed in Tokyo; another set was scattered across Western Europe and is currently in the Paris Library; the whereabouts of the third set are unknown. The horizontal plaque inside the hall reads “Hu Tong San Ji” (Unifying the Three Periods), and the couplet reads: “With a heart dedicated to all beings, you delve deep into the virtuous fruits of the Bodhisattva; appearing as the Buddhas of the Three Ages, you manifest on the lion throne of Manjushri.” On the east and west sides of Huicheng Hall are side halls—the East Side Hall is called Zhifeng, and the West Side Hall is called Mianyue. North of Huicheng Hall, rockeries are arranged along the slope, with stacked stones forming caves, hidden bridges over cliffs, and crisscrossing ravines, creating a secluded and winding path—a microcosm of Mount Wutai. The rockery resembles auspicious clouds, supporting a high pavilion called the Baixiang Pavilion, also known as Jingming Puxian, featuring a double-eave octagonal structure with a yellow glazed tile roof and green trimming. The main facades on the east, west, south, and north have gates, while the four diagonal sides have latticed windows. Inside the pavilion, atop a stone Sumeru pedestal, stands an 11.6-meter-tall wooden carving of Manjushri riding a lion, said to be modeled after the likeness of Qianlong. Two guardian figures, each three meters tall, flank the statue. The horizontal plaque inside the pavilion reads “Jingming Puxian,” and the couplet reads: “The Buddha proclaims the teachings of the great teacher; heaven reveals this sacred site with the lion peak.”

In front of the Baixiang Pavilion are three-bay side halls on the east and west—the East Side Hall is called Yunlai, and the West Side Hall is called Jingshuě. Climbing the second level of the rockery, one finds a tower to the north called the Qingliang Tower, also known as Xianghetaihuai, which has two stories with nine bays per floor. The tower enshrines Manjushri. The plaque above the first-floor door reads “Miao Wu Fu De” (Marvelous Five Blessings). The couplet inside reads: “The land lies at the foot of the terrace, showing residence in the kingdom; the seat draws in the hammer peak, offering clouds in worship.” On either side of the Qingliang Tower are side halls with a width of five bays—the East Side Hall is called Jihui, and the West Side Hall is called Huixi, with a hexagonal pavilion to the west of Huixi Hall. To the west of Jingshuě Hall is a small courtyard with a three-bay main room called Xianglin Chamber, which has a moon gate at the back. In front of the chamber is a square pavilion on the east and a two-story small building called Yiyun Tower on the west. When the emperor visited Shuxiang Temple to offer incense, the empress would dress up here, hence it is also called the Dressing Tower. Originally, there was a large cauldron in Shuxiang Temple, with a diameter of 2.41 meters, a height of 2 meters, a wall thickness of 6 centimeters, cast from 88 copper pieces, weighing about 5 tons, and supported by 18 iron pillars. It was usually used to store water for fire prevention, but on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, the monks would use it to cook “Laba porridge,” which monks from other temples in Chengde would come to eat as a blessing.

Shuxiang Temple was a frequent destination for the emperor and empress dowager. Its architectural layout features varying elevations, with exquisite interior furnishings, an elegant environment, and a strong garden atmosphere, particularly renowned for its rock stacking. Today, only Huicheng Hall, the mountain gate, and the bell and drum towers remain; the rest have been destroyed.

Xinfang Village: Located in the central area of the Buddhist holy site Mount Wutai, Xinfang Village administers five villager groups: Xinfang, Hebei, Huochang, Xigou, and Wayao, with a total of 185 households and 593 people. In recent years, with strong support from the civilization committees at the provincial, municipal, county, and district levels, Xinfang Village has focused on both building a moderately prosperous society and promoting cultural advancement, achieving remarkable results. According to incomplete statistics, in 2007, the village's total economic income was 2.71 million yuan, with a per capita net income of 2,411 yuan. The village’s appearance has significantly improved, and the living standards of its residents have markedly risen. Since 1998, Xinfang Village has been honored for ten consecutive years as a... [More details about Xinfang Village++]

Further Reading:

· Second Batch of Shanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units