Xiqiao Mountain Scenic Spot

The statue of Guanyin in Baofeng Temple at Xiqiao Mountain in Guangdong | The past of Buddhism in Southern Yue Baofeng Temple is located at Xiqiao Mountain in Foshan. The exact time of its establishment is unknown, but it was already recorded in the 'Guangzhou Records' of the 'Yongle Encyclopedia' during the Ming Dynasty. The temple was very popular, and along with Guangzhou's Guangxiao Temple, Qujiang's Nanhua Temple, and Dinghu's Qingyun Temple, it was known as one of the four famous temples in Southern Yue. During the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, the authorities carried out a campaign to destroy 'licentious temples' in the Jiangnan area, deeming all temples not registered with the imperial court as illegal and demanding their demolition. There were two reasons for this campaign: on one hand, Buddhist activities were powerful, with many monks and followers, which impacted the power of the court and local scholar-officials; on the other hand, the Buddhist value of 'lying flat' affected the Confucian value of striving, which was promoted by the court. With more people 'lying flat' and worshipping Buddha instead of working, the temples came to own a large amount of land and houses, affecting the interests of local scholar-officials. After Baofeng Temple was demolished, its original site was purchased by Huang Chongcheng, the Minister of Taichang Temple from Nanhai. Most of the temple's land and ponds were confiscated. The abbot, Hui Lian, led the monks to the White Cloud Cave at Xiqiao Mountain and built another temple, Baofeng An, which continues to this day and has become a famous attraction. Xiqiao Mountain Scenic Spot>