Jinshan Longquan Temple

Jinshan Longquan Temple

Jinshan Longquan Temple is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Longquan Temple is located at the foot of Lion Cliff, 3 kilometers northwest of Jinshan Town, Harqin Banner. It was first built during the Yuan Dynasty and covers an area of 5,000 square meters.

Longquan Temple was first built in the fourth year of the Yuanyou era (1317) of the Yuan Dynasty. The temple is laid out in three ascending tiers along the mountain slope, covering a total area of 5,000 square meters. The mountain gate stands at the center of the front courtyard wall. It is nearly square in shape, six meters high, with a five-ridged roof and upturned eaves on all four sides. Current recreational activities mainly include horse racing, archery, paragliding, sand sliding, speedboats, kayaking, swimming, fishing, water games, rock appreciation, and desert camel trekking adventures.

In front of the east and west side halls, there is a stone stele each, 3.2 meters high, with a dragon head and turtle base. The eastern stele was erected in the first year of the Zhizheng era (1341) and is inscribed with the “Biography Stele of Master Ran Gongdaoji, Abbot of Shizi Cliff Longquan Temple in Songzhou.” The inscription is clear and describes how “in the fourth year of Yuanyou, Master Zhang Zhiran from Xining, Anding, came to this place and found it ‘with beautiful mountains and clear waters, a secluded and serene environment, seemingly detached from the mortal world.’ Thus, he ‘cleared away the rubble, cut back the brambles, and within a few years, completed the construction of the mountain gate and Buddha hall. The kitchen, storage, meditation hall, abbot’s quarters, and monks’ dormitories were all renovated to look brand new, adorned with colorful paintings and gilded decorations that dazzled the eyes.” The western stele was erected in the sixth year of the Republic of China (1917) and commemorates the “Record of Longquan Temple,” documenting its renovation by the prince and banner lord of the right wing of the Harqin Banner. In the center of the temple grounds stand several ancient pines and cypresses. The main hall is located at the very rear, spanning three bays in width, surrounded by corridors, with a single-eave hip-and-gable roof featuring five ridges. The platform of the hall is surrounded by carved stone railings. In front of the hall stands an incense shrine. On the eastern hillside behind the temple, there is a cave with dimensions of 2 meters in both height and width, and 1.5 meters in depth, housing two stone Buddha statues.

In the 37th year of the Kangxi era (1698), Emperor Kangxi, by order of the Empress Dowager, traveled to Mukden (Shenyang) to pay homage to the imperial ancestral tombs. Passing through Harqin Banner, he visited Longquan Temple and was greatly pleased, bestowing a golden saddle as a sacred treasure for the temple. He also composed a poem praising Longquan Temple: “Ancient trees line the endless mountain path; frost-laced woods rustle in the autumn wind. Halting by the stream, I return to camp late; seated, I watch the banners blush in the setting sun.”

In 1986, Longquan Temple was designated as a Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

The temple has three courtyards. The front hall consists of three rooms and serves as the Heavenly King Hall, with the central area of the temple located behind it, and side halls on the east and west sides. Ancient pines and cypresses can be seen throughout the temple grounds, along with numerous stone stelae and carvings. In the center of the courtyard stands a large stone lion, 4.5 meters in length and 1.1 meters high at the head. Remarkably, this stone lion was carved directly from a naturally formed rock within the temple grounds, a rare sculpting technique in China. In front of the east and west side halls stand stone stelae, each 3.2 meters high with dragon heads and turtle bases. The inscriptions are clear and hold significant historical value.

Jinshan Town: Located in the central part of Harqin Banner, at the 48-kilometer mark of the Chifeng–Chengde Highway. It is now the seat of the Harqin Banner Committee and the People’s Government of Harqin Banner, serving as the political, economic, and cultural center of the banner. The town covers a total area of 124 square kilometers. In the early Qing Dynasty, Jinshan Town was called “Dagongfu” and later evolved into “Gongye Fu.” In 1966, it was renamed to its current name. In the eighth year of the Qianlong era (1743), Minzhurlabtan, the second son of the fifth-generation Jasak and Imperial Son-in-Law Galdan Cezhu of Harqin Banner, was granted the title of Fuguo Gong and later promoted to Gu Shan Beizi. Hence, he was referred to as “Dagong” or “Gongye” by the people, and... More detailed information about Jinshan Town++

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units