Ruins of Guangfa Temple

　　    During the Song Dynasty, in Ningfeng Township of Tanzhou County (now present-day Teng County), there lived a man named Qisong, whose poetry was said to be “like that of the great Du Fu” and “could still illuminate the land of Wu a thousand years later.” Qisong was appointed by Emperor Shenzong of the Song as the Chief Monk of the Bureau of Monastic Affairs (equivalent to the current President of the Buddhist Association of China), and during the reign of Emperor Renzong of Song, he was also granted the title of “Master of Ming Teaching.” The Guangfa Temple where Qisong studied and practiced (its ruins are located near the Guanyin Lotus Throne in Taiping Lion Mountain) once became the national center for Buddhist studies and the most revered temple among followers.