Baiyun Chan Temple

　　   Baiyun Chan Temple is situated on the mid-slope of Baiyun Rock. When taking a raft ride along the Nine Bend River and looking north, you can see this ancient temple of the same name built on Baiyun Rock north of the stream. The temple is built next to a cliff and beside a stream, resembling a hanging monastery. To visit the temple, you need to cross Xingcun Bridge, then walk northeast along the mountain path for five li to reach the foot of Baiyun Rock, and finally climb up the steps to get there.

　　   Originally named Baiyun Nunnery, the temple was once used as a study retreat by the Song Dynasty scholar Lü Zuqian, and later occupied by Taoist nuns. In the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, Monk Cijue traveled here and converted the Baiyun Nunnery into a Buddhist temple. The temple was ingeniously built against the mountain rock, blending with the surrounding landscape, and from a distance looks like a cloud nestled halfway up Lingfeng Peak. Inside the temple are the Maitreya Hall, the Three Jewels Hall, the Guanyin Hall, and the Patriarch Altar. The rear halves of these halls are embedded within rock caves, while the front halves are supported by fir wood pillars leveraging the mountain terrain, resembling structures suspended in mid-air. From inside the temple, one can look south toward the upper reaches of the Nine Bend River, with Dao Yuan Zhou stretching across the middle section. Opposite stands the majestic Flame Peak. Looking down, the houses and buildings of Xingcun Town are densely clustered, offering a uniquely beautiful scenery.

　　   For nearly a century during the Qianlong era, the temple flourished under the leadership of Monk Pengri, several generations after its founding monk Cijue, attracting a continuous stream of worshippers. Over the centuries since its establishment, the temple has undergone cycles of prosperity and destruction.

　　   On the rock wall of the Guanyin Hall, there is a cliff engraving from the Qianlong era that reads “Grand View.” At the end of the temple, a perilous narrow path leads to a cave that houses the relics stupa of Master Liang Shan Dongxuan from Zhangpu, erected in the 38th year of the Kangxi reign (1699). Outside the cave, on the sheer cliff face, there is a cliff engraving from the Qianlong era gifted by devotees to then-abbot Monk Pengri, inscribed with the words “Pure Land.” Baiyun Chan Temple currently has three resident monks and is gradually being developed as a new tourist attraction.

　　   Source: Fujian Provincial Tourism Development Commission