Xiayansi Temple

　　From the steps opposite Liangjiang Square, it won’t take long before you reach the reconstructed Xiayansi Temple. One moment you’re in the heart of the city, and suddenly, you’re enveloped among green trees and red walls, amidst lush pines and cypresses, with the rich aura of a sacred temple washing over you. The Mountain Gate Hall stands tall in the center, flanked by the majestic Bell Tower and Drum Tower on either side, presenting a solemn and dignified scene.

　　The deep and resonant tolling of the temple bell rings out, as if echoing from ancient times, drawing your thoughts to the old Xiayansi Temple that has long been submerged beneath the river…

　　From a natural cave to a renowned historical site

　　Also known as Yanzi Kan (Swallow Grotto) and Yunyan Temple, Xiayansi Temple is located in a natural cave along the riverbank in Tangfang Village, Shuangjiang Town (formerly in Yunyang), nestled beside the Yangtze River. As early as the Qin and Han dynasties, people were carving inscriptions and statues here. By the Tang Dynasty, with the flourishing of Buddhism, it became a temple.

　　In the late Tang Dynasty, Master Liu Daochan from Wuji County (present-day Hebei) in Dingzhou wandered here and, captivated by the unique scenery, chose to stay. He carved niches into the cliffs and carried out large-scale rock carvings, making the temple even more magnificent. He was later revered as the “Forefather of Cliff Carving.”

　　Xiayansi Temple was grand in scale and beautiful in scenery. Its cave was fifteen zhang high (approximately 50 meters), over twenty zhang deep (over 66 meters), and nearly fifty zhang wide (about 166 meters). The area was surrounded by ancient trees, tangled vines, and waterfalls cascading from the cave ceiling, splashing into droplets like pearls, creating a fairyland-like atmosphere. According to the description by Tu Fengshu, a notable cultural figure from Yunyang: “The stone walls are engraved with Buddha statues—some as tall as one or two zhang (3–6 meters), others as small as two or three inches (5–7 cm), too numerous to count. There were over ten rooms for the Buddha Hall and monks’ quarters, six or seven rooms for visitors to rest, with many niches inside and thousands of bamboo shoots outside. Above, a hanging waterfall swayed near the eaves. When the river was in full flood, water often flooded into the temple, making even the height of summer feel like late autumn. Many came here to escape the heat. Boats passing by could only see the interplay of water and bamboo, unaware that there was a temple hidden among them.”

　　Throughout the long course of history, although Xiayansi Temple endured many trials and periods of rise and decline, it remained quite prosperous until the late Qing Dynasty and early Republican era.

　　In 2008, with the completion and impoundment of the Three Gorges Project, Xiayansi Temple was submerged beneath the river. In 2010, the local government selected a 20-acre site at the foot of Tian Gong Bao on Longji Ridge to rebuild the temple. The new temple is over 30 times larger than the old one, featuring structures such as the Mountain Gate Hall, Mahavira Hall, Scripture Depository, and Meditation Hall. The entire temple is spacious, magnificent, profound, and solemn, undoubtedly a truly famous Zen monastery along the Yangtze River in eastern Chongqing.

　　From a famous Zen monastery to a hub of tourism and culture

　　For thousands of years, thanks to its unique geographical environment, rich cultural heritage, and beautiful natural scenery, Xiayansi Temple has attracted countless poets and scholars, gradually transforming from a renowned Zen monastery into a hub of tourism and culture. Literary figures such as Wang Wei, Su Shi, Huang Tingjian, Su Zhe, Lu You, Fan Chengda, Yu Ruli, Feng Shixing, Cao Xuequan, Zou Tao, Wang Shizhen, and Kang Hai all visited here, leaving behind precious ink marks and stories.

　　Historical records indicate that in January of the fourth year of Emperor Zhenzong’s Jiyou era during the Song Dynasty (1067), the Su brothers—Su Shi and Su Zhe—along with Huang Tingjian, unexpectedly met here. Su Shi’s enthusiasm for sightseeing soared, and he picked up his brush to write “Inscription Left at Xiayansi”: “Zi Zhan (Su Shi), Zi You (Su Zhe), and Monk Kan arrived here, but the temple monks stopped us, citing the bad road. Little did they know the journeys I’ve undertaken are a hundred times harsher than this. Written on the 20th day of the first month in the year Dingwei.”

　　Although Su Shi didn’t leave any poems from his visit to Xiayansi Temple, which is somewhat regrettable, he did leave behind a delightful anecdote about spontaneous poetry. It’s said that after visiting the temple, the Su brothers planned to take a boat to Kuizhou. The boatman, delighted to see the famed literary figures, spoke to them in the Yunyang dialect and insisted they compose an impromptu poem in the same dialect before allowing them aboard. After a moment of contemplation, Su Shi recited a quatrain on the spot: “A tiny boat we board, / Listening to the kun fish flow upstream. / Three strokes of the oar, / And soon we’ll head down to Kuizhou.” Upon hearing this, the boatman and the onlookers couldn’t help but applaud, deeply impressed by Su Shi’s wit and talent.

　　Whether Su Shi actually composed a poem in the local dialect or whether it was a later embellishment remains uncertain, but the legendary gathering of these three great minds made Xiayansi Temple widely renowned, turning it into an eternal famous temple in eastern Chongqing. To commemorate the event, a “Three Sages Shrine” was erected near the temple.

　　Xiayansi Temple features serene and peculiar scenery, with emerald-hued stones and waterfalls cascading like pearls. The famous landscape poet Wang Wei once wrote a poem in its praise: “The Swallow Grotto in the mountains, / With paths twisted as twisted as sheep guts. / The earth splits as it winds and coils, / While cliffs pierce the sky with their crags. / The monkeys cry as the valley echoes, / Waterfalls crash down from above. / Rain-soaked peaks reflect in the pool, / While hanging vines sway in the wind.” This vividly depicts the enchanting landscape of Xiayansi Temple, with its perilous cliffs, flowing waters, and misty surroundings.

　　The Qing Dynasty poet Xiong Yudong wrote “Eight Scenic Spots of Yunyang,” one of which is “Cloud Cliff Waterfall”: “The cliffs scrape the heavens, / With flying snow cascading from the top. / The moonlight filters coldly through the peaks, / And a misty spray rises from the stream. / Vines wrap around the trees like brocade, / While hanging jade drapes from hollows. / After a fresh rain, / A hundred streams gush with sound.” This poem paints the beautiful scene at Xiayansi Temple: towering cliffs, cascading waters like flying snow, moonlight filtering through, and surrounding mists resembling woven silk. After the rain, the sound of flowing water echoes loudly. This poem celebrates the “Cloud Cliff Waterfall,” one of the “Eight Scenic Spots of Yunyang.”

　　The Southern Song Dynasty poet Fan Chengda wrote in his “Xiayansi” poem: “Once, a dream at Zhongyan remained unfinished, / But the scenery at Xiayansi is also lofty and cold. / No place along the gorge is fit to moor the boat, / But today, after the rain, I finally lean on the railing. / No need to seek the appearance of Buddha with effort, / Just let the hanging water curtain be viewed forever. / The mountain monk urges me to inscribe the cliff wall, / But before the great masters like Su and Huang, I dare not carve.” The closing line, “But before the great masters like Su and Huang, I dare not carve,” reveals the poet’s awe in the face of such beauty: with literary giants like Su Dongpo and Huang Tingjian having already left poetic verses, Fan Chengda, as a junior, hesitated to add his own. Yet, he ultimately couldn’t resist doing so—such was the irresistible beauty of Xiayansi Temple.

　　In the preface to his “Two Poems on Xiayansi Temple,” Northern Song poet Huang Tingjian noted: “It’s been two hundred years, yet the inscribed poems of visitors are too numerous to read.” If so many poems were written in the two centuries before Huang Tingjian, how many more must have accumulated by the Ming and Qing dynasties? Unfortunately, by 1935, when Tu Fengshu collected all the literary works dedicated to Xiayansi Temple, he could only find fifty or so pieces. These fifty-plus poems and Tu Fengshu’s own “Record of Poems on Xiayansi Temple in Yunyang,” which he inscribed himself, are displayed in Zhang Fei Temple, and replicas can also be found in the rebuilt Xiayansi Temple.

　　Today, although the old Xiayansi Temple has faded into history, we believe that the “reborn” new Xiayansi Temple will carry on its legacy and become a sacred place of Buddhism and culture in eastern Chongqing.

　　Source: Yunyang Tourism Network