Wansong Temple Pagoda Grove

The Stone Pagoda Grove at Wansong Temple houses ninety-nine pagodas. Nestled against the mountain and adjacent to the temple, the grove stands tall and imposing, its solemn presence and grand scale serving as the crowning touch to this profound cultural landscape—a sacred site dedicated to the salvation of all beings. With the exception of the “Pagoda of Master Taiping,” most of the other pagodas were originally scattered across various monasteries on Panshan Mountain. Over time, torrential floods and historical upheavals wrought extensive damage, leaving the foundations and individual components of the pagodas strewn throughout the mountain’s many corners. In 2006, the Panshan Administration mobilized considerable manpower and resources to painstakingly recover the fragments of these pagodas from every corner of the mountain and reassemble them in front of Wansong Temple. Following restoration and reconstruction, the grove now comprises a total of ninety-nine stone pagodas. These structures are fashioned in square, hexagonal, or lama‑style forms.

Mountain tranquility and scenic community

This residential complex comprises a harmonious ensemble of landscape architecture and natural vistas. The buildings, with their dark-tiled walls and verdant roofs, rise in varied, dramatic forms, creating a richly layered composition that is both visually striking and pleasing to the eye. Key features include the paifang archway, the central plaza, the mountain gate, the lotus pond, the “Mountain Serenity, Harmonious Scenery” pavilion, and the Yecheng Pavilion, among others.

Fei Bo Jian

To the west of the Ancient Buddha Relic Pagoda lies “Feibo Gully.” In summer and autumn, the gully’s waters cascade down from Cuiping Peak, their flow resembling flying silk—hence the name. As one poem puts it: “Waterfalls and springs pour beneath the peak, their forms like strands of white silk gently drifting.”

Like a pond

“Ruru,” a Buddhist term, denotes a sublime state of perfect harmony and fluidity, free from stagnation. Here, to the north rises Cuiping Peak, flanked by the east–west‑extending Fuxing Ridge; three sides are encircled by rolling hills, coalescing into an intimate, secluded natural setting. To the south, the vista opens wide, offering an expansive panorama—a scenic haven where seclusion and openness blend, and where the flow is unobstructed yet not stifling, making it an exceptional feng shui treasure that gathers and nurtures the earth’s vital energy. A poem captures its essence: “Ruru—just as if the six sense organs had been transplanted, all five realms dissolve into the verdant screen; auspicious clouds recline upon the pavilion, drifting through the windows, while a single spring fills the pool, teeming with mountain fish.”

Ingot Stone

This massive boulder, weathered by wind and rain over the centuries, has taken on a shape that is wide at the top and narrow at the base—resembling a traditional ingot—hence its name, “Yuanbao Stone.” It truly stands as Pan Mountain’s treasured landmark. Carved upon it are the words: “Here lie lofty mountains, steep peaks, strange rocks, and rare pines,” inscribed by Ning Chun, a scholar‑candidate from ancient Miyun. Drawn to Pan Mountain by its unique scenery, he adapted a line from Wang Xizhi, the celebrated calligrapher of the Jin Dynasty, found in his Preface to the Orchid Pavilion: “Here lie lofty mountains, steep peaks, lush forests, and slender bamboo.” Believing that this phrase fell short of capturing the essence of Pan Mountain, he revised it to read: “Here lie lofty mountains, steep peaks, strange rocks, and rare pines.” In the lower right corner is an inscription left by the esteemed scholar Fu Zengxiang, who visited Pan Mountain on three separate occasions.

Yunzhao Temple

Yunzhao Temple was formerly known as Jianglong An and was founded during the Taihe era of the Tang Dynasty by Master Daozong. Historically, the temple enshrined the Imperial Treasury’s Thousand‑Leaf Precious Lotus Buddha. In the thirtieth year of the Wanli reign, it was officially bestowed the name “Yunzhao Temple.” Perched atop a sheer summit, shrouded in clouds and veiled in mist, from below one can scarcely tell whether the temple is the cloud or the cloud is the temple—hence the name Yunzhao Temple. Standing proudly at the pinnacle of Panshan Mountain, the temple has long enjoyed a renowned reputation, regarded as the foremost among all the monasteries on the mountain and hailed as the “Buddhist Palace Amidst the Clouds.” When clouds rise at the mountaintop, its golden halls gleam with radiant splendor; when the clouds disperse, its jagged peaks sparkle in the light. Ascending this sacred site evokes the sense of gazing upward at a lofty pagoda that seems close to the heavens, while looking down upon the world below, where earthly affairs seem to swirl and churn. Emperor Qianlong himself praised this place as “supreme and wondrous.”