Pingshan Rock Temple

There are two couplets at Pingshan Rock Temple. The first one reads: Steep Screen Peak rises upon Western Heaven Ridge;

The cliff temple leans against the southern island’s summit. It was composed by Zhang Dianguang, a local scholar in the late Qing Dynasty.

The second couplet goes: A protective screen nurtures beauty ringed by green mountain barriers;

Mountains and rivers gather spiritual essence surging through rocky cliffs. This piece was written by Master Yuanying, a revered monk from Shanghai Yuanming Lecture Hall during the Republic of China era. Together, the two couplets capture the temple’s perilous location, imposing momentum and magnificent scenery.

Pingshan Rock Temple stands on Western Heaven Ridge, also known as Golden Needle Peak, behind the ancient town of Shen’ao. Hiking enthusiasts may follow the large water pipeline from Shen’ao Hydropower Station and climb the reputed 999 stone steps to reach the temple. For those unfit for strenuous climbing, two newly paved roads allow direct vehicle access. Route 1: Drive west along the hillside road from Shen’ao Town, wind south uphill, turn west at Xiongzhen Pass, pass Guolaoshan Reservoir and Houhuayuan Village, and arrive at the temple within minutes. Route 2: Head northeast from the county seat along the highway toward the wind farm, turn north at Dalan Kou past Houhuayuan Village, which also leads straight to Pingshan Rock Temple.

After renovations and expansions, Pingshan Rock Temple has evolved into a grand ancient Buddhist complex. Hanging centrally above the tall main gatehouse is a horizontal plaque inscribed with the temple’s name “Pingshan Rock Temple” by Wu Nansheng, former Chairman of the Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. Upon entering the gate, visitors are greeted by a smiling Maitreya Buddha statue. Behind Maitreya stands the awe-inspiring statue of Skanda holding a vajra pestle. The east and west wings of the inner courtyard house the ancestral shrine and reception hall respectively, with a lofty terrace rising at the centre. Climbing the stone steps to the worship pavilion, you will see couplets carved on its four inner and outer pillars: Green bamboo and yellow blossoms reveal the true nature of all things;

Clear pond and bright moon illuminate the meditative mind.

When quiet concentration calms the inner world, afflictions fade away;

When the heart abides in peace, all mortal realms grow tranquil.

The Mahavira Hall behind the worship pavilion enshrines solemn statues of Sakyamuni Buddha, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva and Manjushri Bodhisattva. Statues of Patriarch Bodhidharma and Bodhisattva Kenglan stand on the east and west sides. Legend says Kenglan, depicted in civil official robes, was originally an imperial minister who devoted himself to safeguarding Buddhist interests during his lifetime and was later venerated as a Bodhisattva after his passing.

Behind the Mahavira Hall, shaded by ancient banyan trees, lies an elegant multi-storey Scripture Repository enclosed by carved railings. Besides a vast collection of Buddhist scriptures, the hall houses statues of the Eighteen Arhats. The eastern and western chambers in front of the repository are the Ksitigarbha Pavilion and Guanyin Pavilion respectively. On a high mound behind the Scripture Repository rises the seven-tiered Golden Needle Pagoda, an octagonal slender tower piercing the sky. A couplet for the pagoda reads: Ascending its heights transcends the mortal world;

Its winding stairway coils through empty space. Climbing the tower lets visitors experience poetic sentiments of ancient writers. From the top floor, one overlooks mist-shrouded mountains, ancient ramparts and fresh green foliage, with the entire layout of Pingshan Rock Temple unfolding before the eyes.

On the high slope to the right of the temple stands Binshan Pavilion, an ornate viewing pavilion with upturned flying eaves. Its horizontal plaque was inscribed by the temple’s founding monk Shi Dingchi. The pavilion was built to commemorate a virtuous ancestor of the temple. According to legend, in the early Qing Dynasty, a Fujian couple Huang Binshan and Lin Ciheng settled on Western Heaven Ridge of Double Swallow Mountain in Shen’ao, making a living by growing daylilies (golden needle flowers). One night an elder appeared in their dream, instructing them to donate their homestead to Buddhism for eternal blessings. The couple followed the vision to build a temple, and subsequent extensions retained the name “Binshan” in memory of them. Numerous couplets are carved on the pavilion’s stone pillars, embedding the names Binshan, Ciheng and Dingchi: Binshan Peak greets the rising dawn;

The pavilion overlooks drifting evening mist.

Binshan’s gentle devotion steadies compassionate nature;

Mountains swallow ferocious tigers, perseverance upheld by Ciheng.

The profound truth of Binshan aligns with Chan wisdom;

The sincere heart of Ciheng equals the Buddha’s own mind. Beside the pavilion stands a re-carved stone stele Record of Binshan Rock Temple’s Land Acreage from the Qing Dynasty, documenting measures taken to protect the temple grounds.

At the centre of the small pond before Binshan Temple stands a stone Guanyin statue over ten metres tall. Its two-metre base is wrapped in metal lotus petals, which rotate just above the water’s surface powered by electricity, forming a unique scenic sight.

Endowed with extraordinary natural charm, Pingshan Rock Temple has inspired poems and calligraphic inscriptions by countless literati from ancient times to the present. On one side of the pond before the temple lies an elegant Poem Stele Corridor, where verses and calligraphy by distinguished contemporary Chaoshan scholars and poets are carved onto stone slabs. Tourists may savour the poetic works while admiring the surrounding scenery.