One-day tour of Longji Mountain in Hong'en Temple Forest Park, Chongqing

Hong'en Temple Forest Park is no stranger to the people of Chongqing. The park's location was once home to the legendary Hong'en Temple, which was later destroyed by a fire. Now, only the name Hong'en Temple remains, with no trace of the temple itself. However, as one of the few forest parks in the main urban area, it is still worth a visit. Speaking of Hong'en Temple Park, its name indeed comes from a temple called Hong'en Temple, which is an old story by now—legend has it that during the Ming Dynasty, when Emperor Jianwen Zhu Yunwen was being pursued by Emperor Yongle Zhu Di, he fled to Longji Mountain in Chongqing and built a temple to live in seclusion. Initially called Hongning Temple, it was later renamed to Hong'en Temple, which has a history of over six hundred years. Hong'en Temple was burned down during the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty and was rebuilt during the Daoguang era. During the war period, it was requisitioned by the military, then used as a primary school building, and was demolished in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China and has not been rebuilt since. Longji Mountain remains, but Hong'en Temple is no more, replaced by Hong'en Pavilion. Hong'en Pavilion is also considered a religious building, but its more prominent feature is the night view—it is almost the highest viewing point in the main urban area. At night, looking from a distance, Hong'en Pavilion stands tall on the mountain peak, very imposing; and from here, looking into the distance, the night views of Jiangbei, Yuzhong, and Shapingba are all in sight, not losing to the night view seen from Nanshan's 'One Tree'. Although the terrain of Hong'en Temple Park is high, an artificial lake has been built, which is quite large. There are several shaded paths and some public seats by the lake, making it a favorite dating spot for many couples to whisper sweet nothings. As a forest park, there are also many flowers in the dense woods of Hong'en Temple Park. Osmanthus trees are one of the main tree species in the park, and there is a special Osmanthus Ranking on the square, listing the names of dozens of varieties of golden osmanthus, silver osmanthus, dan osmanthus, and four-season osmanthus planted in the park. In addition to osmanthus, the cherry blossoms and peach blossoms in spring are also characteristics of Hong'en Temple Park, attracting many people to come and enjoy the flowers, and the ginkgo trees in autumn are also quite impressive. It can be said that Hong'en Temple Park is one of the few exquisite gardens in the main urban area with mountains, water, flowers, and pavilions.