Visit Bishui Temple on the banks of the Fujiang River in Mianyang

Bishui Temple in Mianyang is located on the north side of Dongfanghong Bridge, built on the cliff, with Guishan Mountain behind and the Fujiang River in front. According to historical records, in the early years of the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty, Linghu Yuangui, the magistrate of Baxi (now Mianyang), "made scriptures and statues" on Bishui Cliff. Later, in order to protect the cliff statues, Li Tongshu, the governor, built a pavilion, and the name of the Water Pavilion may have started from that time. During the Daguan period of the Song Dynasty, people expanded the pavilion, and the Water Pavilion was renamed Bishui Temple, which has been used ever since. Since then, Bishui Temple has gone through several ups and downs. In the fifth year of the Jiaqing period, "the villagers built a small pavilion to protect it," and it was rebuilt in the eleventh year of the Jiaqing period, and its appearance was preserved until the Republic of China period. In 1965, the pavilion of Bishui Temple collapsed. In 1986, it was rebuilt on the original site. In 2008, Bishui Temple was damaged in the "5.12" Wenchuan earthquake. In 2011, post-disaster reconstruction began and has continued to this day. The real treasure worth seeing in Bishui Temple is actually in this three-story hall, called the "Guanyin Hall." Inside the hall, there is a huge stone, on which 18 cliff statues and 32 volumes of the Diamond Sutra are carved. The hall houses a standing statue of a Bodhisattva from Kaiyuan Temple, which is exquisitely shaped and well-preserved, and is a rare masterpiece among the large statues of the Tang Dynasty in Sichuan. In 2013, the cliff statues of Bishui Temple were announced as the seventh batch of national key cultural relics protection units.