Liling Qingyun Temple of Qingyun Temple

Liling Qingyun Temple, formerly known as Dongchan Temple, is also known as "Nanyue Palace" and "Junshan Villa". It is located at the foot of Yunpan Ridge at the northern foot of Qingyun Mountain in the east of Liling City. Yunpanling was called "Yingpanling" in the Liling County Annals of the Republic of China. It was named after Wu Sangui rebelled during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, and two generals, Wu and Gong, took control of Liling and built a city on this mountain to defend the rebels. The winding mountain is called "Dongshan", which is the location of "Dongtai Jifeng", one of the eight scenic spots on the ancient Lujiang River. It is located at the connection point between today's Xiangdong Hospital and the Municipal Electric Power Bureau. Dongzen Temple was built in the Ming Dynasty, from which its predecessor was originally named "Dongshan Temple". "Zen" and "mountain" are the same sound. According to the old county annals, Dongshan Temple "was abandoned for a long time" and no longer exists. In Minglong Qingjian County, Bagong Zodiac Laifeng founded Dongshan Temple on its former site, so the two temples are actually one. Lai Feng, named Junshan, once served as the magistrate of Yongxing County, Hunan Province. Later, he devoted himself to Buddhism and Zen and built many buildings. The mosaic rock inscription "Meng Biquan" was carved on Xianzi Rock in Pukou, and the "Bitter Bamboo Temple" (which no longer exists) was built on it, all of which he did. His descendants Xiao Deting, Xiao Wuting, Xiao Deyuan and others repaired Dongchan Temple twice during the Jiaqing and Guangxu periods of the Qing Dynasty. Because the temple is dedicated to the Holy Emperor Nanyue and is a place for pilgrims to burn incense, it is named "Nanyue Palace". In the 21st year of the Republic of China (1932), it was still maintained and repaired by Xiao. Since a new "Nanyue Palace" was built in Dingxian Mountain in the same year, it was renamed "Junshan Villa" and a private school was attached there to commemorate and inherit the spirit and career of the ancestor "Junshan". After 1949, the temple was occupied by residents. In 1989, Master Shi Dechan, a member of the Liling Municipal People's Political Consultative Conference, and his disciple Shi Yiwei moved here from Baiyun Temple in the north gate. It was officially renamed "Dongchan Temple" and converted from a shrine to a Buddhist temple.

In 1993, Shi Dechan used the funds raised to build a statue of Nanyue Holy Emperor, a wood carving of Guanyin, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, Maitreya Buddha, and a jade carving of Sakyamuni Buddha, and initially drafted a temple expansion plan. In 1996, Master Shi Dechan passed away, leaving behind more than ten relics. Shi Yiwei, the successor of the law, inherited his career and led his followers to pursue the human religion of "compassion for the world and enlightenment of all living beings", broke the old rules, improved management, and made the temple increasingly prosperous. They also used all their financial resources to bring in seven large jade Buddha statues from Myanmar, including Sakyamuni Buddha, Eastern Glazed Medicine Buddha, Western Amitabha Buddha, Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara, Manjushri, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, and Dharma Protector Wei Tuo. Most of them are lofty and huge structures, prepared for worship. In order to carry forward the new construction and inherit the teaching profession, a solid foundation has been laid.

With the efforts of Shi Yiwei and the joint efforts from all walks of life, in 2006, the Liling Municipal Government made an overall plan for the reconstruction and expansion of Dongchan Temple, guided by the exploration of religious culture, the protection of cultural relics and historic sites, and the creation of tourist attractions. , and decided to change the name of the temple to "Qingyun Temple". After the completion of the plan, the total area will be 7,816 square meters, which is more than 10 times larger than the original area of ​​nearly 400 square meters. The total construction area is 4282 square meters. The main new buildings are the Mountain Gate, the Holy Emperor's Hall, the Bell and Drum Tower, the Main Hall, the Guanyin Hall, the Haihui Pavilion (i.e. the Reliquary Pagoda) and other buildings. They are all in the Tang style, with mountains and rivers behind them, and they are majestic. Majestic.

The existing temple will be converted into the Mountain Gate and the Holy Emperor Hall. The shape of the mountain gate is a three-arched row of buildings, 8 meters high and 9 meters wide, with cornices at the corners, and the door and building are integrated into one. The Holy Emperor Hall makes full use of the original space and uses a flat roof design to become the front terrace of the Main Hall. Climbing up the steps from the side gate is the main building, the Main Hall, with Bell and Drum Towers, Guanyin Hall, and Haihui Pavilion on both sides.

The Main Hall was built against the mountain behind the original temple. It has two floors outside and three floors inside, a mixed wood structure with a mountain-top roof, glazed roof tiles and flying eaves. In front of the hall, there are six bluestone dragon pillars, about 5 meters high, with openwork carvings and dynamic momentum. Other buildings also adopt the unified Tang style of simple and solemn style. In 2007, the planning project was officially launched. The main hall has stood majestically, and the pavilions are in sight. After the entire project is completed, a "Qingyun Zen Temple" with unique craftsmanship, simple shape, radiance and splendor will be presented to people with a new look. It occupies a feng shui treasure land with "a light (water) in front and a backing (mountain) behind", and has become another new landscape in Liling.