Jieyang - Shuangfeng Temple

Shuangfeng Temple, together with Chaozhou Kaiyuan Temple and Chaoyang Lingshan Temple, is known as the 'Three Famous Temples of Chao Region'. The 'Evening Bell at Shuangfeng' is one of the eight scenic spots in Jieyang. Located in Mashan Alley, Rongcheng District of Jieyang City, it is the center of Buddhism in Jieyang and the largest ancient temple in the area. It was first built in the tenth year of the Shaoxing era of the Song Dynasty (1140 AD), with the original site at Shuangshan of Panxi Du (now Shuangshan Village, Guiling Town), founded by Master Fashan. In the early Ming Dynasty, Master Shishan relocated it to the current site in Mashan Alley of the county seat, making it a major monastery in the eastern Guangdong region. At that time, the temple was magnificent, with solemn Buddha statues and lush bamboo forests. When the sun set in the west, the sound of bells, drums, cymbals, and gongs echoed, along with the chanting of sutras and the steady beat of wooden fish, creating a charming scene, making it a place for worshiping Buddha and sightseeing. After expansion, the temple became grand in scale, and thus was named one of the 'Three Famous Temples of Chaoshan' along with Chaozhou Kaiyuan Temple and Chaoyang Lingshan Temple. During auspicious celebrations, local officials and Buddhist patrons often came to the temple to worship after bathing. They would dismount from their sedans and walk the last three miles from the official road to the temple at 'Dinggai Mountain', showing their piety. According to folklore, when Jieyang County was rebuilt in the tenth year of Shaoxing, geographers believed that the 'earth dragon' traveled from the neck of the Lotus Mountain Range to Shuangshan, totaling 99 peaks. Eastward from there was the plain, and Yujiao Village was considered the 'focal point of spiritual energy'. Therefore, Shimumu Mountain, as the 99th peak, became a geomantic treasure, and Shuangfeng Temple was built. It is a comprehensive accumulation of ancient Jieyang culture. The overall architecture of the ancient Shuangfeng Temple is well-ordered, with exquisite details. The red ridges and carved beams, dragon arches, and hooked eaves dazzle with gilded brilliance. The Buddha statues and niches are all masterpieces of skilled craftsmen, grand and magnificent; the plaques, couplets, and steles are from elegant scholars, competing in beauty and fragrance.