Baiyun Mountain Nengren Temple

Baiyun Mountain Nengren Temple

Baiyun Mountain Nengren Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Nengren Temple is located on the left side of the mountain-climbing road at the southern foothills of Baiyun Mountain. A stone inscription titled "Introduction to Nengren Temple," engraved by the Guangzhou Baiyun Mountain Construction Management Office in April 1995, records: "The temple was built during the Xianfeng and Tongzhi eras of the Qing Dynasty (1851–1874) by Huanji and Weizhong. The site was originally the Yu Hong Cave (also known as 'Yu Hong Stream'), where there was a small hermit’s pavilion called Xiao Yin Xuan. After Li Angying retired from his official post and returned to seclusion in Wenxi (now Changtang Street), he was captivated by the beauty of Baiyun Mountain. Here, he dredged springs, carved rocks, and created a pavilion as a gathering place for friends to compose poetry. The Tongzhi-era 'Panyu County Annals,' Volume 24, state: 'Nengren Temple is located southeast of Baiyun Temple, on the former site of Yu Hong Cave. It was built in the fourth year of the Daoguang era (1824), with Tiger Path Spring on its right.' On May 17, 1924, Dr. Sun Yat-sen, accompanied by his wife Soong Ching-ling, Nationalist Central Military Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Guangdong Army Xu Chongzhi, Secretary-General of the Grand Marshal’s Headquarters Gu Yingfen, and over ten others including Shao Yuancong, Huang Huilong, and Chief Guard Ma Xiang, visited Baiyun Mountain and rested briefly at Nengren Temple. A few days later, he returned to the temple for recuperation. In 1937, the Japanese invaded China, and in October 1938, Guangzhou fell. Nengren Temple was burned down by the Japanese. In the autumn of 1993, with the attention and care of the Guangzhou Municipal People’s Government, Nengren Temple was rebuilt on the original site and completed after more than a year of construction."

Nengren Temple faces south and is built along the mountain slope. It consists of three main structures from front to back: the Heavenly King Hall, the Mahavira Hall, and the Mercy Cloud Hall. On the left side of the Mahavira Hall are the Sixth Patriarch Hall and the Ksitigarbha Hall, while on the right is Xiao Yin Xuan, a resting area for visitors and worshippers. The entire Nengren Temple is grand and majestic, surrounded by mountains, lush trees, and an atmosphere of tranquility and elegance. It covers an area of over 10,000 square meters, with a total built-up area exceeding 1,000 square meters.

The mountain gate of Nengren Temple is a single-bay, single-door, single-story archway with a five-rafter hip-and-gable roof, constructed from brick, wood, and stone. The lintel is made of original stone, with the front inscribed in relief with "Ancient Nengren Temple." The upper inscription reads "First Winter Month of the First Year of Xianfeng (1851)," and the signature reads "Written by He Tingxiu of Nanhai." The reverse side of the lintel is inscribed in running script with "Cross to the Other Shore."

In front of the Heavenly King Hall is a spacious terrace covering 469 square meters, paved with 0.60-meter square granite slabs. The edges on three sides are lined with railings, and below the front railing is a stone retaining wall. The slope of the wall is adorned with the red-painted characters "Realm of Purity" in cement relief.

Behind the mountain gate is a winding path leading up to the front hall—the Heavenly King Hall. The Heavenly King Hall has a three-bay width and two-bay depth, with a surrounding corridor. The total width of the building is 10.2 meters, and the total depth is 6 meters, covering an area of 61.2 square meters. It features a double-eave hip-and-gable roof with a hip-and-gable fireproof wall. The roof is covered with plain tiles, gray ceramic-glazed tiles, and trimmed with glazed tile ridges. The beams, columns, and roof are all made of reinforced concrete, with wooden brackets under the eaves. Above the main door hangs a black-lacquered wooden plaque inscribed in relief with the four running-script gold-lacquered characters "Vajra Realm." The central bay has doors at the front and back. The side bays have round carved flower windows on the front and back walls, while the other walls are of brick. The hall enshrines a golden-lacquered statue of the Heavenly King at the front and a golden-lacquered statue of Skanda at the back.

The middle hall is the Mahavira Hall, with a seven-bay width and five-bay depth, surrounded by a corridor. The total width of the building is 23.4 meters, and the total depth is 15.3 meters, covering a floor area of 358 square meters. It features a double-eave hip-and-gable roof with a hip-and-gable fireproof wall. The nine ridges have flying eaves, with three dragons sculpted on the main ridge—the central one a coiled dragon and the side ones flying dragons. Each flying eave has a dragon sculpture facing the main ridge, and a bronze wind bell hangs beneath each flying eave. The roof is covered with plain tiles, gray ceramic-glazed tiles, and trimmed with glazed tile ridges. The beams, columns, and roof are all made of reinforced concrete.

The central bay has a large door, above which hangs a black-lacquered wooden plaque inscribed in relief with the four clerical-script gold-lacquered characters "Mahavira Hall." The side bays and end bays have "A-shaped" wooden lattice windows on the front walls, while the other three sides are brick walls. The Mahavira Hall covers a floor area of 1,210 square meters, with the surrounding terrace paved with 0.60-meter square granite slabs and edged with stone railings. Below the front stone railings is a stone retaining wall. The hall enshrines three golden-lacquered standing Buddha statues at the center—the Sakyamuni Buddha in the middle, the Medicine Buddha on the left, and the Amitabha Buddha on the right. The two end bays enshrine golden-lacquered statues of the Eighteen Arhats.

On the left and right sides of the Heavenly King Hall are the Bell Tower and the Drum Tower, each two stories high. Their architectural styles are similar, featuring hip-and-gable roofs, hip-and-gable fireproof walls, and a ceramic-glazed flying dragon at the apex. Each has eight flying eaves with a bronze wind bell hanging beneath. The wooden brackets are installed under the eaves. The first floor has brick walls, each 4 meters long and wide. The second floor has "A-shaped" movable wooden lattice windows on all four sides, with four windows per side. The towers are surrounded by corridors with railings. The Bell Tower and Drum Tower are connected to the Heavenly King Hall by walls, with a mountain gate on each side wall leading inside and outside. A long corridor is built behind the Heavenly King Hall, connecting the Bell Tower and Drum Tower.

To the left of the Mahavira Hall are the Sixth Patriarch Hall and the Ksitigarbha Hall, which are connected and face south. They have a six-bay width of 20.4 meters and a two-bay depth of 8 meters, with a front veranda. The main hall has a flush gable roof with a hip-and-gable mountain wall, decorated with openwork ceramic-glazed tiles on the ridge. The front slope has a double-eave roof, covered with plain tiles, gray ceramic-glazed tiles, and trimmed with glazed tile ridges. The beams, columns, and roof are all made of reinforced concrete. The central bay of the Sixth Patriarch Hall is the main door, above which hangs a black-lacquered wooden plaque inscribed in relief with the three gold-lacquered characters "Sixth Patriarch Hall." The side bays have "A-shaped" wooden lattice windows on the front and brick walls on the other three sides. The central bay enshrines a golden-lacquered statue of the Sixth Patriarch. The Ksitigarbha Hall is similar, enshrining a golden-lacquered statue of the Ksitigarbha King. To the right of the Mahavira Hall are the Yu Hong Stream, Tiger Path Spring, and Xiao Yin Xuan, a resting area for visitors and worshippers.

In the 24th year of the Guangxu era, Liu Yongfu led the remnants of the Black Flag Army and stationed them in Guangzhou. On the Double Ninth Festival, he visited Baiyun Mountain with his colleagues, climbed to the peak, and gazed into the distance. Reflecting on the times, he was deeply moved. Upon returning to camp, he wrote this unique character "Tiger." His subordinates carved it into the rock wall of Nengren Temple.

On July 27, 1999, it was designated as a Cultural Relics Protection Unit in the fifth batch by the Guangzhou Municipal People’s Government. It is currently managed by the Municipal Administration Bureau, the Municipal Gardens Bureau, and the Baiyun Mountain Administration.

The rear hall is the Mercy Cloud Hall, similar in structure to the Mahavira Hall. It has a five-bay width and three-bay depth, surrounded by a corridor. The total width of the building is 16.2 meters, and the total depth is 10.2 meters, covering a floor area of 165.24 square meters. Above the main door hangs a black-lacquered wooden plaque inscribed in relief with the three clerical-script gold-lacquered characters "Mercy Cloud Hall." The hall enshrines a golden-lacquered statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva, as well as statues of the Golden Boy and Jade Girl. Above the left side of the Mercy Cloud Hall is the rear mountain gate of Nengren Temple, which leads to the Summit Park. To the right is the Mingjing Garden, and the back is against a green, tree-covered hillside. The front is a spacious terrace. The Mercy Cloud Hall covers a floor area of 540 square meters. Below the stone railings at the edge of the terrace is a stone retaining wall. Beneath the wall is a spring called "Sweet Dew," with water continuously flowing out and covering the spring platform.

On the right side of the stone archway of Nengren Temple on Baiyun Mountain, there is an irregular horizontal rectangular cliff carving. On the right side is a cursive script character "Tiger," approximately two meters in length, forming a pictographic character. It has two large eyes on top and a long tail trailing behind. The upper inscription reads "Double Ninth Festival of the 24th Year of Guangxu," and the lower signature reads "Written by Liu Yongfu."

The ruins of Nengren Temple are now managed by the Baiyun Mountain Administration and are open to visitors for sightseeing.

Address: Mingchun Valley Scenic Area, Baiyun Mountain, Guangyuan Middle Road, Baiyun District, Guangzhou City

Type: Temple

Recommended visiting time: 2–3 hours

Phone: 020-37222222

Official website: http://www.baiyunshan.com.cn/

Opening hours: Open all day

Ticket information: No separate ticket required. Included in the Baiyun Mountain Scenic Area ticket.

Baiyun Mountain, Guangzhou

Mingchun Valley, Baiyun Mountain

Moxing Ridge, Baiyun Mountain

Jiulong Spring, Baiyun Mountain