Panshan Monastery

Panshan Monastery

Mountain flowers in full bloom

South Heaven Gate

The Peaks of Panshan

The Five Peaks recorded in Zhipu’s “Pan Shan Zhi” differ slightly from those listed in the “Imperially Commissioned Pan Shan Zhi.” Beyond the Five Peaks, there are numerous other summits; the Five Peaks are mentioned only as the most prominent. Guayue Peak: the principal peak of Pan Mountain, standing at an elevation of 864.4 meters. Its summit is sharp and its base steeply truncated, resembling a conical spire or a bamboo shoot thrusting skyward, reaching into the azure heavens and piercing the blue void—so striking that it seems fit to hang the moon, hence its name, Guayue Peak, also known as Zhongtai. Hong Sheng’s poem, “Ascending Guayue Peak and Sending It to Zhu Zhutuo, the Compiler”: “Each of the Five Peaks vies in splendor, yet Guayue alone reigns supreme. Gazing upward, the pagoda seems close to the heavens; looking down, the world below churns like a restless tide. This mountain stands as the eastern bulwark of the old Jiliao realm, the northern gateway to the Central Plains between mountains and sea. Alas, I wish I could take you far to gaze upon the scene, and, basking in the breeze, let out a long cry from the very roots of the clouds.”

After a heavy rain, Panshan is especially beautiful!

After a heavy rain, Panshan is especially beautiful!

Archway

It serves both as the name of the paifang and as the name of the scenic spot—a quintessential example of naming a site after an object while honoring that object through the landscape. On the front face, the golden plaque bears the four characters “Genggu Mingshan,” written with vigorous strength yet graceful elegance and rounded finesse, creating an artistic harmony between calligraphy and architecture. These characters were adapted from the cliff‑side inscription “Genggu Mingshan” personally composed by the Qing emperor Kangxi during his first imperial tour of Panshan, intended to underscore the paifang’s distinguished status within the mountain complex and, at the same time, to highlight Panshan’s eminent place in the world. Throughout his reign, Emperor Kangxi visited Panshan on four occasions, leaving behind twelve poems and essays, as well as inscribed plaques and couplets for such sites as Wansong Temple, Yunfeng Fajie, Letianzhen, Panshan Xiufeng, Menwai Yifeng, Yunjing Temple, Panggu Temple, Qingfeng Temple, and Genggu Mingshan, among others.