Xichan Temple in Huarong County

Xichan Temple was first built in the second year of the Chuigong reign of the Tang Dynasty. It served as a key courier-style Buddhist temple along the pilgrimage route connecting Mount Emei and Mount Jiuhua. It grew into a celebrated sacred shrine across Hunan in the Song Dynasty, known as the foremost pilgrimage destination for Buddhist believers across the Hunan-Hubei Plain.

Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty bestowed upon it an inscribed horizontal plaque reading "The First Mountain". In the 19th year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty, Guo Huai, then magistrate of Huarong County, personally drafted an official proclamation and erected a stone tablet engraved with the inscription "Eternal Mountain Gate". The document praised the temple as a magnificent hall filled with curling incense smoke and recorded that it enshrined a solid gold Buddha statue. The local chronicles of Huarong compiled in both the Ming and Qing dynasties listed Xichan Temple as a major historical relic within the county.

The original site of Xichan Temple stood at the West Gate of Huarong County seat. During the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty, it was relocated to the East Gate, next to the Town God’s Temple. In the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty, an eminent monk named Li Jin from Nanyue Mountain came to reside here. He led fellow monks to raise alms far and wide and collected substantial donations. With the funds, they renovated the entire temple, paved the stone street at the East Gate, and purchased one hundred mu of temple land in Huangpeng Embankment.

The reconstructed Xichan Temple featured grand dimensions and exquisite craftsmanship. Covering more than 2,600 square metres, the compound consisted of five courtyards in sequence: the main gate, Heavenly King Hall, Mahavira Hall, Guanyin Hall and the monks’ quarters. Facing south, the main gate opened onto East Main Street.

In front of the monks’ quarters lay a large releasing pond connected by a stone arch bridge. The surrounding stone walls of the pond were carved with bluestone reliefs depicting the full scene of the opera Flooding the Golden Mountain. Sunlight shimmered on the water surface, mingling with incense smoke and mountain mist. Carved stone shrimp soldiers and crab generals on the walls seemed to chase real turtles and snakes swimming in the pond, creating a stunning illusion where the carved figures and living creatures blended together.

Whenever natural disasters or social turmoil struck, the temple would hold religious rituals, recite scriptures, and release sky lanterns and river lanterns. Especially on the Ghost Festival in the seventh lunar month, the temple would host the Ullambana Ceremony and invite eminent monks from famous temples across the country to conduct Buddhist services. These rituals helped cultivate honest folk customs and purify social morals.

As karmic cycles turned and times changed, the temple fell into decline in the middle and late Republican era. Virtuous monks left the premises, and Buddhist activities gradually faded away. The first three courtyards were later occupied and used as government offices including the Grain Tax Bureau and a law firm, shattering the serenity of the monastic compound.

After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the temple’s religious properties were confiscated as feudal assets. Buddhist practice was once confused with feudal superstition and restricted or banned for a period. In 1952, the temple was turned into a reform-through-labour grain mill named the New Life Rice Factory. During the Great Leap Forward in 1958, most of the temple was demolished to make way for street expansion and factory construction.

It was not until 1992, when the country implemented religious policies and revitalized Buddhist culture, that the Huarong County People’s Government made a decision to relocate and rebuild Xichan Temple. The new temple was built on the former site of Ding’an Temple from the Ming Dynasty, which boasts picturesque landscapes of Xianqiao Hill.

The reconstructed temple follows the architectural style of the ancient Xichan Temple. The master plan includes three main halls (Mahavira Hall, Heavenly King Hall, Guanyin Hall), seven auxiliary halls (Chanting Hall, Lecture Hall, Dining Hall, Guest Hall, Senior Monk Hall, Self-cultivation Hall, Ancestor Hall), three towers (Sutra Repository, Bell Tower, Drum Tower), one monk dormitory and one lotus pond. The layout features classic elegance and imposing momentum, harmonizing perfectly with the natural scenery of Zhutou Mountain and winning unanimous praise from monks and lay worshippers alike.

The total land area of the new temple exceeds 35,000 square metres, with a construction area of more than 6,500 square metres — three times the building area of the temple at its prime.

Thanks to joint efforts from the religious community and local residents, the Chanting Hall, Mahavira Hall, Three Saints Hall, Guanyin Hall, Dining Hall and supporting monk quarters have been completed one after another. The three Chinese characters "Xichan Temple" on the main plaque were inscribed by Zhao Puchu, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and President of the Buddhist Association of China.