Su Dongpo's First Love and a Hidden Treasure of Tang and Song Dynasty Cliff Carvings

While Zhongyan Temple is now often touted as the place where Su Dongpo studied and experienced his first love, the true historical gems of this area are the nationally protected cliff carvings scattered throughout the mountains, rather than just the Fish Calling Pond associated with Su Dongpo and Wang Fu's romance. · As a representative of early Buddhist stone carvings in Sichuan Province, the Zhongyan Temple cliff carvings originated in the Tang Dynasty, flourished during the Tang and Song Dynasties, and continued into the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Zhongyan Temple currently preserves 48 niches with 2,492 statues, along with 119 inscriptions by famous figures such as Su Dongpo, Fan Chengda, Huang Shangu, and Lu You from the Tang, Song, Ming, and Qing Dynasties. These are distributed on the cliffs between the Upper, Middle, and Lower Temples. · On my second visit to Zhongyan Temple, I spent half a day exploring all the nationally protected cliff carving sites scattered throughout the mountains. There are numerous sites, some off the main path, requiring a climb up a long branch trail. Overall, the exploration is relatively easy, but unfortunately, most of the carvings have suffered severe damage to their heads and details due to natural weathering and human destruction. · ✅Fish Calling Pond: Passing through the newly renovated Lower Temple, you'll soon see the Fish Calling Pond. This is the first area with a concentration of cliff carvings. The most important are two sites: one is the three scripture pillars on the left wall of the Fish Calling Pond, carved with the Tang Dynasty scripture *Buddha's Ushnisha Victorious Dharani Sutra* and an inscription dating back to the first year of Xian Tong in the Tang Dynasty (860). This indicates that the Zhongyan Temple cliff carvings were established no later than the Tang Dynasty, possibly even earlier. The second site is below and to the right of the Fish Calling Pond, where three Guanyin statues are preserved. One of these depicts Guanyin dressed as a peasant woman carrying a basket, a relatively rare representation and strong evidence of Qingshen's long history of bamboo weaving. · ✅Thousand Buddha Corridor: Located between the Lower and Middle Temples, the Thousand Buddha Corridor marks the beginning of the core area of Zhongyan Temple's cliff carvings. The corridor is quite impressive, with several large-scale grottoes. The Buddha statues mostly date from the Tang and Song Dynasties. Sadly, most of the heads were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. Some have been restored in recent years, but the proportions still appear unbalanced. · ✅Reclining Buddha Grotto: This is the only undamaged cliff carving at Zhongyan Temple. This is understandable, as even now, there's no accessible path to this cliffside niche. It can only be viewed from below, making it difficult to see clearly. A Buddha flanked by two Bodhisattvas can be vaguely discerned, surrounded by over a hundred smaller Buddha figures. · ✅Immortal's Bed Hanging in the Void: This is a branch route requiring a climb up over a hundred steep steps to reach a precarious cliff face. Legend has it that the Tang Dynasty monk "Endless Chan Master" often meditated here, eventually achieving enlightenment and passing away in this spot, hence the name "Immortal's Bed." There are three niches of carvings on the Immortal's Bed cliff, and while there are no particularly large statues, the sheer number is astonishing: one niche has 476 statues, another has 1,200, and the third features an ornate Pure Land scene. · ✅Jade Spring Cave: This is the largest grotto in the entire mountain, with a waterfall cascading down and the Jade Spring flowing into two pools: the Tai Chi and Double Dragon Pools. Inside the cave, Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism are combined, and it is said to be the birthplace of the Zhongyan Taoist site. However, it appears that there aren't many original carvings, with inscriptions being more prominent. Particularly noteworthy is a vivid bas-relief of figures in an ox cart, titled "Common People Seeking Buddha to Eliminate Disasters," also known as "City Patrol." · ✅Platform Subduing the Tiger: Located between the Middle and Upper Temples, this site mainly features inscriptions, most notably the two large characters "Zhongyan" inscribed by Li Shi of Gaoling during the Zhenghe period of the Southern Song Dynasty. · ✅Spiritual Rock Bamboo Shoots: Although only ruins remain of the Upper Temple, three Spiritual Rock peaks rise beside them. There were likely cliff carvings here as well, but now only some inscriptions remain, a beautiful blend of human and natural artistry. This marks the end of the Zhongyan Temple cliff carvings trail. · 🏠Name | Zhongyan Temple Cliff Carvings 🎫Tickets | 25 yuan ⛳Address | Ruifeng Town, Qingshen County, Meishan City, Sichuan Province 🚗Transportation | Navigate to "Zhongyan Temple" by car.