Tongshan Rock

　　Situated on the flat ground north of Yiting Town, about 15 kilometers from downtown Yiwu, a cliff rises abruptly from the earth. This peculiar cliff resembles a crouching lion with its head raised and facing north. The cliff is about 50 meters long and 13 meters high. This lion-like cliff is known as Tongshan Rock.

　　At the point where the lion’s head is held high, there is an open lion’s mouth, nearly 30 meters wide, which extends inward like an oral cavity for another 18 meters. As early as the Southern Song Dynasty, people utilized the cliff opening and the platform in front to construct three majestic temples — front, middle, and rear. Unfortunately, over time, with the shifting of scenes and changing fortunes, the once magnificent landscape of Lion Rock was destroyed several times, and Tongshan Rock fell into slumber like a sleeping lion.

　　To meet the needs of tourism, during the 1980s, the Grand Buddha’s Hall and Hu Gong Hall were rebuilt inside the cliff opening of Tongshan Rock, while a hexagonal pavilion and the Heavenly King Hall were built on the back of the cliff. In 1996, the Jade Buddha Hall was added, housing a jade Buddha gifted by Myanmar, which stands 1.6 meters tall and weighs about 400 kilograms.

　　The traditional Double Ninth Festival is the liveliest time at Tongshan Rock. Visitors and worshippers from surrounding areas flock here, with the peak visitor count reaching 20,000 to 30,000.