雁荡观音洞

Yandang Guanyin Dong


Useful Information

Location: West Foot of Meiling Mountain, Yandang Mountain
(28.382494, 121.106539)
Open: All year daily 8-18.
[2021]
Fee: free.
[2021]
Classification: SpeleologyKarst cave SubterraneaCave Church
Light: LightIncandescent Electric Light System
Dimension: L=76 m, H=113 m, W=14 m.
Guided tours: self guided, St=370, D=3 h.
Photography: allowed
Accessibility: no
Bibliography:
Address: Yandang Guanyin Dong.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then.
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History

265 first temple built into the cave.
1106 first temple in front of the cave erected.
1983 Guanyin statue in the main hall of the temple carved by the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts.
2004 Yandangshan declared National Geological Park.
2005 member of Global Geoparks Network.

Description

雁荡观音洞 (Yandang Guanyin Dong) is, like all Guanyin Caves named after Guanyin Bodhisattva, because it is a buddhist temple. The Guanyin statue in the main hall of the temple in front of the entrance was carved by the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts in 1983. The temple was built during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, extended during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, and again extended in the Daoguang, Guangxu and Xuantong periods. The mountain behind the temple is called 合掌峰 (Gassho Peak).

The cave is quite exceptional, it's a narrow crack in the rock. The ceiling is not completely closed, there is a skylight which is only about one meter wide. There are three springs on the roof of the cave, named 洗心 (Xixin, Washing the Heart), 漱玉 (Shuyu, Washing Jade), and 一缕 (Shibu, One Wisp). Inside this huge crack the floor ascends steeply to the back. On this slope nine temple buildings were erected. From the foot of the mountain, you have to climb 403 stone steps to reach last temple, 370 inside the cave. The Palace of Heavenly Kings contains the sitting statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva, and there are eighteen arhat statues next to it. On the rock wall 300 Yingzhens were placed. The cave was originally called 灵峰洞 (Lingfeng Cave), the name was later changed to 罗汉洞 (Luohan Cave) and in the Qing Dynasty to Guanyin Cave.

两峰合掌即仙乡,
九叠危楼洞里藏,
玉液一泓天一线,
此中莫问甚炎凉。

The two peaks together are the land of the immortals.
Nine dangerous buildings are hidden in the cave.
A line in the sky with a jade liquid.
There is no need to ask about the heat and cold in this place.

Poem by scholar 邓拓 (Deng Tuo)