Stone nunnery

Stone nunnery

Shi'an is located in the west of Shi'an mountain, Guikeng village, Yixi Town, Xiangqiao District, about 15 kilometers away from Chaozhou City. On the mountain, there are tall trees, rugged rocks, winding paths and deep caves; on the foot of the mountain, there are clear and elegant rivers. The stone nunnery is built according to the mountain and has the charm of nature. The nunnery is divided into two levels: the upper is the Buddhist hall, with white walls and grey tiles. It is very simple. In front of the hall, there is a osmanthus plant, more than one foot high, planted in the Ming Dynasty. It is said that it was planted by the princess (Princess) at the end of the Ming Dynasty, with extraordinary fragrance; the lower is a natural cave, empty as a room, which can accommodate more than ten people. Climbing up the winding path from the foot of the mountain, we can see that on the cliff on the left side of the road, there are cliff stone carvings engraved with "cold siliuxiang" and "no ignorance of cause and effect", which are written by Huang Jin, the Minister of rites of Nanjing in Ming Dynasty.

Development history

From the center of Chaozhou City in Guangdong Province to the northeast, about 20 km, you can reach the stone nunnery (also known as "the uppermost rock") in the mountain of Guikeng management area, Yixi Town, Xiangqiao district. It was founded in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). It was restored and greatly expanded from 1979 to 2000. It was inscribed here because of its quiet caves, long flow of pit springs and the escape of Huang Jin (1572-1654), the Minister of the Ming Dynasty. On December 1, 1987, it was announced by the municipal government as a key cultural relic protection unit, attracting people's attention.

Shian has a long history. It is said that it was created in the Ming Dynasty by a monk from Jiangxi Province who came here and made use of the Tianming Yanyan cave. Three mu of farmland was built on the top of the cave (behind today's main hall) and a squatter was built on the edge of the field. It is known as "Jiangxi squatter". After the title "the highest rock.". During the "Cultural Revolution", the stone nunnery was removed by the "Red Guards" to the foot of the mountain, or destroyed, or burned, and the rock temple turned into a cattle shed and pig house on the farm. In 1976, the gang of four was smashed and the policy was relaxed. Since 1979, Liu cainu and Huang zongxiu have come here to repair and restore Buddhism. Later, it was expanded by master Fayun and served as abbot. In October 1988, it was approved and registered by Chaozhou Religious Bureau.

Main attractions

Ancient rock

Ancient rock sits east to west, with a total construction area of more than 400 square meters. In front of the mountain gate, there are grotesque stone pictographs on both sides. On the right is the elephant stone, and on the left is the lion stone, which is very similar. Abbot Shi Fayun engraved the characters "elephant" and "Lion" in his calligraphy to add interest. A small hall of Maitreya is built on the right. After the mountain gate, a 20 meter tall longan tree on the right is tall and green, which is eye-catching. Next to the big stone on the left (the top of the natural cave below), the new osmanthus trees on the site of the former "wanggushu" are also growing well.

Behind the longan tree is a rectangular two-story building built on the big and small stone groups. Downstairs, there are the main hall, the ancestral hall, the meeting hall, the Zhai hall, and so on. On the top of the building, there are the western three saints' hall and the monk's house. In front of the main hall is the natural cave. Inside the cave, the main cave is more than 2 meters long, about 5 meters deep and 5 meters wide, and there is Sakyamuni Buddha in it. About 6 meters in front of the cave, a large stone is stacked on top of a stone. On the wall of the rock is engraved with "the uppermost rock" (later generations engraved "Shi'an" below), which is also known as "Shangshu rock".

Stone nunnery

Turn left near the town government beside the Yigui highway and enter the stone nunnery, which is the northern foothill of Guikeng village, Yixi Town, Xiangqiao District, Chaozhou City. It is a cultural relic scenic spot with both natural and cultural landscapes. As the name suggests, the stone nunnery is located in a unique place with grotesque rocks. The center of the scenic spot is a large mountain depression, in which huge rocks are everywhere. The mountains are covered with green trees, and the mountain springs are gurgling. Along the way, there are many plum trees. It is warm in winter and cool in summer, and the climate is pleasant.

According to records, at the end of the Ming Dynasty, Huang Jin, the Minister of state, chose this valley as a place to live in seclusion. He used a natural cave as his living room, named it "natural rock", and wrote three characters "the uppermost rock", which was engraved on a huge stone opposite the natural rock. Later generations engraved the word "Shi'an" on the lower end of "the uppermost rock", hence the name of Shi'an. From the foot of the mountain along the winding path, you can see the cliff inscriptions on the left side, such as "cold siliusheng", "not ignorant of cause and effect", etc. further up the mountain, the stone nunnery is hidden in the trees and rocks. The stone nunnery is built on the mountain and rock, with a Buddhist hall on the top, three rooms wide and one room deep, white walls and gray tiles, which is very simple.

In front of the hall, there is a osmanthus tree which is always open all the year round. It is said that it was planted in the Ming Dynasty. It is lush and fragrant all the year round. Under the Buddha Hall is a natural cave, as wide as a room, which can accommodate several people. The open space in front of the rock can accommodate dozens of people. On the boulder, engraved with the word "the highest rock nunnery", it was inscribed by the Ministry of rites of the Ming Dynasty. What's more memorable is that the stone nunnery after construction was built in a simple style, using cement and "modern" aluminum alloy structure. "The combination of ancient and modern" and "the combination of Chinese and Western" is a modern temple. The stone nunnery was listed as an important cultural relic protection unit in Chaozhou City in 1987

Address: the north foot of Guikeng village, Yixi Town, Xiangqiao District, Chaozhou City

Longitude: 116.70500183106

Latitude: 23.731199264526

Ticket information: free.

Chinese PinYin : Shi An