Yancong Temple

　　Yancong Temple is located on the mountainside of Shaoping Mountain in the southern part of the city, facing the county town across the river. The 1911 edition of the Cangxi County Annals records: “Yancong Temple is the oldest of its kind, having been established through the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, and has always been known as a scenic site.”

　　A poem by the Northern Song Dynasty poet Wen Tong titled Ascending Shaoping Mountain to Visit Yancong Temple contains the line: “Layered cliffs embrace the woods, with a temple nestled in lush greenery.” During the Zhengtong era of the Ming Dynasty (1435–1449), Liu Bing, an official stationed in Cangxi, wrote in his poem Visiting Yancong Temple: “The high pavilion faces the mountain, shrouded in misty clouds; the winding railings by the steps are bordered by verdant grass.” In the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty, Liu Heng, who once served as Tongzhi (Deputy Prefect) of Changde Prefecture in Hunan Province, stated in his essay Proposal for the Reconstruction of the Ancient Path to Yancong Temple: “To the south of the riverside town lies an ancient Buddhist temple, long known as a sacred place, blessed with clear mountains and beautiful waters, and shaded by lush woods... But recently, ravaged by fire and damaged by grazing cattle, not only has its form been stripped bare, but even the golden rope path to enlightenment has collapsed and crumbled, making it difficult for people to even step through...” This text confirms that before the Zhengde era of the Ming Dynasty, the ancient Yancong Temple had already suffered great calamities.

　　 The existing Yancong Temple is a quadrangle-style wooden structure, consisting of three main hall rooms, one west-side wing room in the front hall, and a courtyard area of 66.06 square meters. The main beam of the main hall bears the inscription “Great Qing Guangxu...” The temple houses clay sculptures of the Three Saints of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, as well as statues of the Thousand-Armed Guanyin and the Eighteen Arhats. The surrounding area is thickly wooded with ancient cypresses, their shade covering the paths, creating a serene and secluded atmosphere that captivates visitors. In April 1983, the People’s Government of Cangxi County designated it as a county-level cultural relics protection unit, and in July 2012, the People’s Government of Sichuan Province listed it as a provincial-level cultural relics protection unit.