Zhuyuan Nunnery

　　    Zhuyuan Nunnery, also known as Zhuye Nunnery, is located at the foot of Zhuyuan Mountain in Saluojingkou Village, Jicheng Town. It was first built during the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty and has a history of over 300 years. The nunnery is built against a mountain and features a traditional quadrangle courtyard structure, with carved beams and painted rafters. Surrounded by tall bamboo and trees, the scenery here is delightful. Within the courtyard are four over 200-year-old yellow frangipani trees that remain lush and vibrant. Zhuyuan Nunnery belongs to the Buddhist tradition, and every year it attracts large numbers of worshippers and tourists who come to explore its serene beauty.

　　

　　    Built against the mountain, Zhuyuan Nunnery is a quadrangle courtyard-style building with one row and three sections, consisting of a front and rear section, covering a total area of about 1,000 square meters. Its architecture and Buddha statues are still well preserved. It includes a Mahavira Hall, a Guanyin Bodhisattva Hall, a guest hall, meditation rooms, and more, enshrining over ten solemn Buddha statues including the Three Jewels Buddha, Guanyin Bodhisattva, Skanda, and Maitreya. In the front courtyard of the nunnery, there is a large stone stairway, a dining hall, and two ancient yellow frangipani trees. The main gate is adorned with a wooden couplet written by the renowned Guangzhou calligrapher Qin Dawo and composed by Hong Kong compatriot Liang Wenwei, which reads: “Amidst green bamboo and pines, we gaze upon the vast universe; deep within this quiet courtyard, the One Vehicle Dharma is fittingly propagated.” The side gate retains a damaged door plaque from the Qing Dynasty’s Jiaqing era inscribed with the four characters “亦有家山” (There Is Also Home Here), written by Chen Huojian, a local scholar and selected talent of that time. The white-robed Guanyin Bodhisattva statue inside the nunnery was enshrined by Chen Tongqian, a villager from Jingkou at the foot of the mountain during the Qing Dynasty. Near Zhuyuan Nunnery, there is a spring of clear water known as the “Zhuyuan Buddhist Spring.” Its taste is sweet like syrup, fragrant upon drinking, and can be stored for long periods without spoiling. Legend says it can cure all diseases and prolong life, which is why people often travel from afar to fetch the water.

　　    Located in the mountains and forests, Zhuyuan Nunnery enjoys a beautiful and tranquil environment, making it an ideal place for meditation and study. As such, throughout the dynasties, in addition to monks, it also served as a private school. During the Qing Dynasty’s Jiaqing era, Chen Zaiqian (1782–1838), a renowned scholar of the Lingnan region and a contemporary of Peng Tailai, studied here. He was a successful candidate in the imperial examination of the Jiazi year of Jiaqing (1804), the fifth-generation descendant of Chen Tongqian, and served as the education officer of Qingyuan County and supervisor of the Yuehua Academy in Guangzhou. He authored works such as *Qishierfengtang Wenshuo* (Writings from the Seventy-two Peaks Hall) and *Mengxiangju Shicang* (Poetry Collection from the Dream Fragrance Studio).

　　    With its long history and solemn Buddha images, Zhuyuan Nunnery is a key cultural relic protection unit in the area, attracting large numbers of both Chinese and foreign devotees as well as general tourists every year for sightseeing and worship.