[2025 Qingzhou Attraction] Travel Guide for Longxing Temple (Updated Feb)

After visiting the Qingzhou Museum, we went to Longxing Temple nearby. Located on the north side of Wangfu West Street, Qingzhou City, Weifang City, Shandong Province, and on the south side of Qingzhou Museum, it is a site from the Southern and Northern Dynasties to the Ming Dynasty. It was founded in the Southern Dynasty Liu Song, developed during the Northern Wei and Eastern Wei periods, reached its peak during the Tang and Song Dynasties, and disappeared during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty. In October 1996, a Buddhist statue hoard from the late Northern Song Dynasty or early Jin Dynasty was discovered in the northern part of the site. After cleaning, more than 600 Buddhist statues, 142 coins, and 2 pieces of ceramics were unearthed. Most of these statues still retain their original colors of painted and gilded paintings, such as cinnabar, sapphire blue, ochre, peacock green, black, white, and other natural mineral pigments. Some statues even have painted pictures of characters and stories on their bodies or clothes. The Buddhist statues unearthed from the Longxing Temple hoard in Qingzhou are large in number, exquisitely carved, well-preserved with gilded paintings, and have a long time span. They make up for the lack of physical materials in the archaeological study of Chinese Buddhism, especially the archaeological study of Buddhism in the Eastern Wei and Northern Qi periods, and provide valuable materials for the study of Chinese Buddhist archaeology and Chinese art history. On March 5, 2013, the Longxing Temple site in Qingzhou was announced by the State Council of the People's Republic of China as the seventh batch of national key cultural relics protection units. It is in a great location, right next to the entrance to the Tuoshan Scenic Area. Parking is convenient, and it is open to the public for free.

On the fourth floor of the Qingzhou Museum, there is a special exhibition hall - the Buddhist Statue Art Exhibition of the Longxing Temple Site, which displays about 400 Buddhist statues unearthed from the Longxing Temple Site. These statues are mainly from the Northern Wei, Eastern Wei, and Northern Qi periods, and are exquisitely carved, painted, and gilded, and well preserved. The smile on the face of the Buddha statue is particularly eye-catching. These smiles are peaceful and serene, showing kindness, confidence, and calmness, with an expression of insight into everything in the world. They are unique in Buddhist art and are known as the "Oriental Mona Lisa" and "Oriental Venus". This is the "Qingzhou Smile". Immersed in the kind smile of the Buddha statue from a thousand years ago, you can deeply feel the Buddha's devotion to life and the inner peace in the face of suffering and turmoil. It is really healing and purifying. Each of us is born crying into the world, but we can smile and walk into eternity.

This Longxing Temple is not an ancient building, everything inside is built in modern times, but the scale is quite grand, and no tickets or reservations are required. The incense inside is quite strong, and there should be many people who come to do the rituals. When I was climbing Camel Mountain, I could hear the melodious Buddhist music from the temple from time to time. The several halls inside enshrine different gods and Buddhas, and believers can worship them. If you are traveling to Camel Mountain, you can also visit this Longxing Temple.

🎈Guys, today I must share an amazing place with you all—Shandong Qingzhou! It is one of the ancient nine states, with a civilization history of over 5000 years! This is also where Li Qingzhao lived for more than twenty years. There are numerous historical sites and the natural scenery is stunning.😎 🚩My two-day itinerary is as follows: Day1️⃣: Hangzhou➡️Qingzhou Museum➡️Qingzhou Ancient City Day2️⃣: Zhaode Ancient Street➡️Guangfu Temple➡️Tuoshan Grottoes➡️Longxing Temple 👉Transportation is also very convenient. You can take a high-speed train from Hangzhou to Qingzhou Station and then take a taxi. If you want to stay for a few more days, I strongly recommend renting a car for more freedom in your travels!🚗 📸The following attractions are really amazing: ✅Qingzhou Museum: This is a national first-class museum on par with the Forbidden City. The exhibits are so numerous that they are dazzling. Be sure to watch carefully and don't just skim through. Especially the Smile of Qingzhou (a national treasure unearthed from Longxing Temple, each Buddha statue has a smiling face and a kind expression), it is simply breathtaking!👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 ✅Qingzhou Ancient City: The Ming and Qing buildings with blue bricks and tiles, and the simple folk customs are touching. From Fucai Gate, you can see the panoramic view of the ancient city, and Zhaode Ancient Street is full of strong Hui ethnic style. The night views of Ouyuan and the Catholic Church are more beautiful than during the day. Unfortunately, my camera ran out of battery when I went, 😭😭 so don't miss it like I did. There are not many people in the ancient city in the morning, you can walk around and experience the different regional characteristics while tasting authentic Qingzhou breakfast culture, it feels absolutely wonderful. ✅Tuoshan Grottoes: It takes about half an hour to climb the mountain, but it is really worth it. The exquisite grotto culture has fascinated many tourists, making the trip worthwhile. You can also overlook Longxing Temple from here. ✅Longxing Temple: Built in the Northern Dynasties, it was a first-class royal temple during the Tang and Song Dynasties. The red walls and yellow tiles are not something that ordinary temples can compare with. 🕰️For those with enough time, you can also visit Yunmen Mountain, Jingtang Ancient Village, Huanghua Creek, and other surrounding attractions, which are also worth a visit! 🏨For accommodation, I strongly recommend staying in a homestay within Qingzhou Ancient City, it is very convenient to go anywhere. 🍴About Qingzhou cuisine (mostly in the ancient city): 1️⃣Qi Ji Chicken Rice Noodles, the taste is amazing. 2️⃣Wang Zhiyong Breakfast Shop, a must-visit. 3️⃣Beef Pancakes, incredibly fragrant. 4️⃣Old Lady's Qiu Cake, so delicious you can't stop eating. 5️⃣Xu's Mustard Chicken, also very good. If you want to bring souvenirs, go to Longsheng Pastry, the Honey Three Knives is very delicious.😋 Guys, Qingzhou is really a treasure city, come and check it out!💖

🌸Hello, buddies! This time I'm going to take you to explore a stunningly beautiful place I discovered by accident—Qingzhou!🌸 💖I originally planned to visit Fangzi Town in Weifang, but was unexpectedly attracted by the name Qingzhou. Upon researching, I was amazed! This is where Li Qingzhao lived for over 20 years, and there's also the Qingzhou Museum, which is on par with the Forbidden City, the largest group of eastern sculptures at the Camel Mountain Grottoes, and the Ming and Qing architecture with green bricks and tiles... I'm totally in love!❤️ 🚄Transportation is super convenient, it only takes 20 minutes from Weifang to Qingzhou, and it's also easy to take a taxi to various attractions.🚖 📝My itinerary is as follows: 🔸Day 1: Qingzhou Museum - Fan Gongting Park (can skip if no snow in winter) - Qingzhou Ancient City 🔸Day 2: Guangfu Temple - Camel Mountain Grottoes - Longxing Temple 🎉What to play in Qingzhou? Look here!🎉 🔹Qingzhou Museum: A must-visit! It's a national first-class museum on the same level as the Forbidden City, with amazing exhibits! Especially see Zhao Bingzhong's top scholar scroll, the Yizi Sun jade wall, and the Buddha statues at Longxing Temple, they are absolutely stunning!😍 🔹Qingzhou Ancient City: Stay in the ancient city, you can stroll around in the morning and evening. Zhaode Ancient Street is a Hui people's street, Ouyuan is a private garden of a grand scholar from the Kangxi period, and Fucailou offers an overlooking view of the entire ancient city. The paths are less crowded, suitable for a leisurely appreciation.🏞️ 🔹Camel Mountain Grottoes: It's a 40-minute climb, but seeing those exquisite Buddha statues makes it worth it! Overlooking Longxing Temple, the beautiful scenery is all in sight.🏞️ 🔹Longxing Temple: Red walls and yellow tiles, magnificent. The Buddha statues from the Northern Qi period are exquisitely carved, leaving one in awe.🏯 🏠Where to stay? I recommend the homestays in Qingzhou Ancient City, convenient to go anywhere!🏠 🍜Food? I was busy taking photos, didn't have time to look, can any local buddies recommend something?🍜 💡If you have enough time, you can also visit Jing Tang Ancient Village, Huanghua Creek, and Nanyang Lake, all incredibly beautiful places!💡

Longxing Temple is located at the foot of Camel Mountain, opposite Yunmen Mountain, and is open to the public for free, with a constant stream of pilgrims. Inside the temple, there is a fish pond where visitors can feed the fish, and there are also many little pigeons to feed. Longxing Temple was originally built during the Northern Wei Dynasty and was a royal first-class monastery during the Tang and Song Dynasties. It was destroyed at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty. It had existed for over 800 years and was one of the most famous temples in the country at that time. In 1996, more than 400 Buddhist statues dating from the Northern Wei to the Northern Song period were unearthed at the Longxing Temple site (next to Qingzhou City Museum), which was ranked as the top of China's top ten archaeological discoveries of the year and is one of the 100 major archaeological discoveries of the 20th century in China. The discovery caused a sensation both in China and abroad and gained worldwide fame. In 2006, with the efforts of the enlightened monk Master Shi Zhengkai and the nationally renowned painter and Zen master Xia Jingshan, the reconstruction project was launched. The rebuilt Longxing Temple covers an area of 300 acres, with a total construction area of 30,000 square meters, and a total investment of about 200 million RMB. The entire Longxing Temple project highlights the Tang Dynasty style, combined with modern concepts, and is majestic, with carved beams and painted rafters, glittering with gold and jade, and towering halls, making it a classic project of the 21st century. Longxing Temple