Xizi Rock Temple in Quanzhou, Fujian

Xizi Rock Temple is located on Zhuowang Mountain in Jinjing Town. It was first built in the 18th yea[...]

Xizi Rock Temple is located on Zhuowang Mountain in Jinjing Town. It was first built in the 18th year of Shaoxing in the Song Dynasty (1148) and is a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit.
The front hall has three gates. The plaque on the middle gate is inscribed with four regular script characters “Ancient Site of Xizi”, which was written by Cai Guren, a successful candidate in the provincial examination during the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty. Inside the main gate, there is a shrine. In the front, there is a statue of Maitreya Buddha, and behind it is a statue of Skanda Bodhisattva. The four great heavenly kings are enshrined in the corridors on both sides. Three steles recording the reconstructions in past dynasties are erected in the west corridor, and a stele recording the reconstruction during the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty is embedded in the east corridor.

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The roof of the main hall of Xizi Rock Temple is as high as 11 meters. There are 3-meter-high louvered fans between the double eaves, making the hall extremely spacious and bright. In front of the hall, there is a pair of ridged granite columns with relief carvings of coiling dragons playing with pearls on them.

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On the cliff in the temple, there are carved statues of Buddha Vairocana, Avalokitesvara, and Mahasthamaprapta. The statues stand upright, 4.5 meters tall and 1.62 meters wide. They are slightly inclined forward, with wonderful shapes.

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At the high ground to the east of the Grand Buddha Temple, there are a series of temples and shrines including Zhuzi Temple, Xuandu Hall, and Yama Hall. Standing here, people can deeply experience the artistic conception of “The Most Scenic Spot in Southern Quanzhou” inscribed by the ancients on the high cliff.

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