Zhundi Pavilion

Zhundi Pavilion

Zhundi Pavilion is a cultural tourism attraction.

The Buddhist holy site Zhundi Pavilion is located about two li east of Haifeng County. Backed by Longshan Mountain and facing the Jingshui River to the south, it boasts picturesque scenery. The towering Martyrs' Monument on Longshan Mountain and the lush bamboo grove beside the temple pavilion both add to the charm of Zhundi Pavilion.

The pavilion faces south and sits north, covering nearly 2,000 square meters in total.

The horizontal plaque above the main gate is inscribed with three characters: “Zhundi Pavilion” (准堤阁), and the stone pillars in the corridor are carved with a poetic couplet in crane-top style that reads: “Eliminate evil thoughts to leave the secular world behind; chant without words to still grasp Zen.” It exudes the essence of Buddhist Zen. In front of the gate, there are also two inscribed “Zen poems,” one of which reads: “Where on earth can one find a cool and tranquil realm? The lofty Mount Taibai stands majestically over the sea. Not a wisp of worldly dust can reach here; peaks and ridges densely guard the meditative Zen.” Upon entering, you’ll find the front hall, which houses a statue of the laughing Maitreya Buddha, depicted with an open chest and a hearty smile — lifelike and vivid in both expression and form. A couplet beside the shrine was written by Lian Jiasheng, a Macao calligrapher from Haifeng. Behind the front hall lies a courtyard, with a statue of Skanda (Weituo) Bodhisattva in the center of the corridor up front, standing back-to-back with the Maitreya Buddha, separated only by a wooden panel. A couplet nearby reads: “Upholding the Dharma and protecting monastics, entrusted with the divine command from Vulture Peak; subduing demons and resentful spirits, thus displaying the might of a heavenly general.” The west wing of the courtyard is the “Merit Hall,” dedicated to monks who have contributed to the pavilion throughout history, with another couplet: “One flower, one world; the Threefold Insight and the Noble Eightfold Path.” The east wing is a shrine to Guan Yu, with a couplet beside it: “Embodied with a stern and resolute spirit, and a heart full of loyalty and righteousness, your sincere devotion shines as brightly as the sun and moon; possessing profound wisdom and insight, and understanding the principles of ethics, your sacred presence graces the Zen realm through the ages.”

Behind the courtyard is the rear hall, the main structure of Zhundi Pavilion. The stone pillars in the corridor in front of the hall are inscribed with a couplet composed by Hong Chenfu, a Hanlin academician from Haifeng: “The green ox heads east, the white horse comes west, all ten thousand scenes of mist and cloud have their paths; the bright moon hangs at the heart of the sky, clear winds skim the water’s surface, thirty thousand worlds are pure and free of dust.” It is said that there used to be another couplet on the stone pillars beside the hall door: “The Buddhist sound is profound and mysterious, like clouds hanging over mountain peaks — the higher you climb, the farther the clouds drift; the Zen mystery is vast and boundless, like the moon reflected on water — the more you stir the surface, the deeper the moon seems.” This couplet blends scenery, Buddhism, and philosophy into one, and is widely circulated.

At the center of the rear hall is the Mahavira Hall, enshrining a statue of the Thousand-Armed Buddha (i.e., the Zhundi Bodhisattva). A couplet beside the shrine reads: “The Buddha’s visage is inherently all-pervading, with thousands of hands and eyes shining down upon the universe; though sentient beings endure suffering, seeing the nine grades of the udumbara flower evokes thoughts of the compassionate raft.” On the east side are shrines to Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva and Xilaiyan Bodhisattva, while the west side features a statue of Bodhidharma. All the Bodhisattva statues within the pavilion are adorned to shine golden. There are wing rooms beside both the front and rear halls, as well as on the west side of the courtyard. Adjacent to the pavilion are also attached two Buddhist gardens. The eastern Buddhist garden serves as a garden and guesthouse; the western Buddhist garden functions as a dining hall and vegetable garden.

Zhundi Pavilion has a long history. It was first built during the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty by the founding monk Chunjing, who raised funds to construct a modest three-room structure. During the Chongzhen era of the Ming Dynasty, Haifeng scholar-official Ye Gaobiao expanded it to sixteen rooms. In the 28th year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1763), the presiding monk Cesiyin refurbished the pavilion. However, during the tumultuous years of the Cultural Revolution, the pavilion suffered severe damage, with ritual implements, scriptures, Buddha statues, and other cultural relics almost entirely lost. Starting in 1980, Haifeng County raised funds for renovation. Construction began in the spring of 1985, and by 1986 the pavilion had been restored to its former glory.

On April 20, 1925, Peng Pai founded the Haifeng Peasant Movement Training Institute at Zhundi Pavilion, enrolling 42 students. Peng Pai personally taught the classes and also invited Zheng Zhiyun, Li Guozhen, Wu Zhenmin, Li Laogong, and Nie Gannu to serve as instructors. The original study period was set for six months, but it was shortened and the program concluded by the end of June. The students were subsequently dispatched to various parts of eastern Guangdong to engage in peasant movement work. On June 7, 1925, the Haifeng County Women's Liberation Association was established at this pavilion. Therefore, Zhundi Pavilion is also a historic revolutionary site and is a key cultural relic protection unit of Haifeng County.