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The ancient name of Panshan Mountain was Xuwu Mountain.
Panshan Mountain is sinuous and tortuous, has no fixed direction
and its form looks like a dragon, so it is also known as Panlong
Mountain (coiling dragon mountain). It is located in the north of
Guanzhuang Town, Jixian County, Tianjin City, and 12.5 kilometers
northwest to the town. It is one of the southern branches of Yanshan
Mountains. The average height of Panshan Mountain is 400 to 600
meters above sea level.
The highest peak Guayue Peak with an area of about 20 square meters
is 864.4 meters above sea level, and its slope is more than 35in
general. Panshan County features a typical geographic characteristic
of spherical weathering, with many craggy stones and steep peaks.
The vegetation type mainly includes the coniferous forest of Chinese
pines. Panshan Mountain is famous for its high mountains, deep valleys,
oddly shaped stones and pines, crystal clear springs, beautiful
trees, temples and ancient towers. It is reputed as the No. 1 Mountain
in East Beijing and one of the 15 most famous mountains in China.
There are many sites in the area of Panshan Mountain, including
the famous Three Spiral Positions (pine resort in the upper spiral
position, stone resort in the middle spiral position and water resort
in the lower spiral position), the Five Peaks (Guayue Peak, Zilai
Peak, Zigai Peak, Jiuhua Peak and Wujian Peak) and the Eight Stones
(Xuankong Stone, Yaodong Stone, Liangjia Stone, Jiangjun Stone,
Jiamu Stone, Tianjing Stone, Hama Stone and Mang Stone), altogether
four scenic spots and more than 30 views.
Tiancheng Temple, Yunzhao Temple and Wansong Temple
These temples are situated within the scenic spots of Panshan Mountain.
The emperors of past dynasties cut the mountains and built temples
in Panshan Mountain; they constructed more than 160 temples and
towers, including the most famous 72 Buddhist temples and 13 exquisite
pagodas. Most of them have not been repaired for many years and
only the original foundations are extant now.
Tiancheng Temple
It is also known as the Fushan Temple. It was first built in the
Tang Dynasty (618-907) and expanded and repaired in the Liao Dynasty
(916-1125), the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
The main buildings include the Great Hall, the Side Hall, the Sanjian
Hall, and the Jiangshan Yilan Pavilion, etc. The stele Record of
Touring the Panshan Mountain prepared according to the order of
Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty was erected in front of the
eastern Side Hall of the Main Hall, and a gallery of over 40 meters
long stands there too.
Yunzhao Temple
The temple is 800 more meters above sea level and located near
the apex of Panshan Mountain, so it is the temple with the highest
elevation in the mountain. Since it is situated near the summit
of the mountain and the clouds always cover the temple, so it is
also known as the Yunzhao Temple (Cloud-covered temple). The temple
was first built during the Tang Dynasty, and is composed of the
Great Hall, the Side Hall, the Sutra-Keeping Hall and the Temple
Gate, etc. Three golden Buddha statutes with a height of 4 meters
are enshrined in the Main Hall, and the Thousand Buddha Niches are
located on the four walls of the Main Hall, etc. The eastern part
of the Yunzhao Temple relies against the Guayue Peak (the highest
peak of Panshan Mountain) on which the Dagoba of Dingguang Buddha
is standing upright.
Wansong Temple
The Wansong Temple is the largest temple in Panshan Mountain. Since
the famous senior general Li Jing of the early Tang Dynasty once
lived here, it was known as the Li Jing Temple before the Qing Dynasty.
The time when it was first built is unknown, but it was repaired
during the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty. Since there were many
ancient pines around the temple, Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty
granted a tablet to call it as the Wansong Temple (ten-thousand-pine
temple).
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