Qianfoshan, known for its peculiar rock formations resembling a thousand Buddha statues, lives up to its reputation as the ‘Little Jiuzhaigou of the South’. Visitors can marvel at the colorful peaks and rocks, tranquil valleys, dense forests, and clear mountain springs flowing through the area, experiencing the beautiful scenery described by Tang Xianzu as ‘morning sun and evening rolls, rosy clouds and green pavilions, rain threads and wind pieces, misty waves and painted boats’.
The Future Temple in Qianfoshan Scenic Area covers about one square kilometer. Inside the temple, there is a miraculous natural mountain body of Maitreya Buddha, towering a hundred feet, facing west from the east, wearing a natural kasaya and extending Buddha’s hands to protect all beings, a true wonder and gift from nature that is awe-inspiring. A Buddha is a mountain, and a mountain is a Buddha; since the discovery of the Great Buddha, many incredible fates and strange celestial phenomena have occurred in front of the Buddha. The Yan’en Hall is a Buddhist hall within the Future Temple, built across the creek from the natural Maitreya Buddha, splitting the mountain. Inside the hall, it enshrines the Tathagata Buddha and his two disciples, with the main Buddha being Shakyamuni, and the two disciples, Mahakasyapa and Ananda, as the assistants. All are gilded with pure gold, presenting a kind and solemn appearance. The Buddha’s compassionate gaze meets the natural Maitreya Buddha, symbolizing Shakyamuni’s prophecy of Maitreya’s future Buddhahood, with eight mountains behind resembling the Eight Heavenly Dragons guarding the Buddhist teachings day and night. According to research, Suichang County has a profound Buddhist history. A famous Tang Dynasty monk-artist once secluded himself in the CuiFengYuan of Qianfoshan for 14 years, completing the 18 Arhat paintings. The famous anti-British general Zhu Huang, who served as the county magistrate of Suichang from the eighth to the fifteenth year of the Daoguang era (1828-1835), wrote: ‘The stone Buddha towers over the ten thousand feet mountain, the flash flower appears to illuminate the bay, even though the color appears in the air, it is only in the non-empty and non-colorful space’, vividly depicting the scenery and artistic conception of Qianfoshan. Open hours: 08:30-17:00 from November 1st to March 31st; 08:00-18:00 from April 1st to October 31st. Preferential policies: Children under 1.2 meters (not including) enter for free; children between 1.2 meters (including) and 1.5 meters (not including) enjoy half price. Elderly: Elders aged 60 and above with a senior citizen card enjoy half price. Service facilities: Parking lot – Qianfoshan Scenic Area Parking Lot, reference price: ¥10 per time, address: Qianfoshan Scenic Area, capacity: 100.
