Wandering the World (1556): Autumn Visit to Hengshan North Putuo Theme Cultural Park

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On a Sunday in late September 2021, I revisited Hengshan North Putuo Theme Cultural Park with my family. Hengshan North Putuo Theme Cultural Park is located in Dashidong Village, Longwangtang Street, Dalian High-tech Zone. Photo taken at Hengshan North Putuo Theme Cultural Park.

Hengshan Temple covers an area of 12,000 square meters, making it the largest Buddhist temple north of the Yangtze River in China. The image shows a guide map of Hengshan Temple.

Hengshan North Putuo Theme Cultural Park is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction. The image shows an introduction to Hengshan Temple.

Hengshan North Putuo Theme Cultural Park is an organic combination of multiple landscapes including Hengshan Temple, Sakura Valley, Yifan Happy Farm, Shanshui Fang, Yisi Garden, Lotus Pond, Guanyin Terrace, Jingxin Lake, Duhai Temple, Luojia Mountain, Lotus Square, and Mantra Avenue. It has been awarded the "Dalian Excellent Tourist Attraction" by the Dalian Municipal Government. The image shows a panoramic view of Hengshan North Putuo Theme Cultural Park.

The park covers an area of 450,000 square meters, with a forest coverage rate of over 90%. Visitors can enjoy a unique forest bath here; it is a natural oxygen bar gifted by nature. Photo taken at Hengshan North Putuo Theme Cultural Park.

The entrance of Hengshan Temple Theme Cultural Park features a majestic archway. The mountain gate is 15.9 meters high and 45 meters wide, serving as the main identifier distinguishing this Buddhist-themed scenic spot from others.

Entering the park gate, you reach the "Mantra Avenue." Mantra Avenue is 9 meters wide and 90 meters long.

After passing Mantra Avenue, you arrive at Lotus Square.

Passing Lotus Square, we drove directly to Hengshan Temple at the innermost part of the park. The image shows the stone lions in front of Hengshan Temple.

Hengshan Temple was first built in the Han Dynasty, with a long history of mountain opening and profound cultural heritage. It flourished in the Yuan Dynasty and continued through the Ming and Qing Dynasties, experiencing several rises and falls before being destroyed by war. Reconstruction began in 2003 and was fully completed in November 2004. This ancient temple with a thousand-year history, with its unprecedented grand momentum, reproduces the majestic style of the "First Temple in Southern Liaoning."

The reconstructed Hengshan Temple has a magnificent architectural style, typical of Han Chinese Buddhist temple structures. The architectural appearance follows the style of imperial temples from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The main buildings of the temple include: the Mountain Gate Hall, Heavenly King Hall, Yuantong Treasure Hall, and Sutra Depository. The image shows the Mountain Gate Hall of Hengshan Temple.

These are the Heng and Ha Generals inside the Mountain Gate Hall.

This is the Drum Tower of Hengshan Temple.

This is the Bell Tower of Hengshan Temple.

This is the Dragon Steps in front of the Heavenly King Hall.

The "Maitreya Buddha" enshrined in the Heavenly King Hall.

The "Four Heavenly Kings" inside the Heavenly King Hall.

The "Skanda Bodhisattva" inside the Heavenly King Hall.

Hengshan Temple is the bodhimanda of Guanyin Bodhisattva. This is the main hall—Yuantong Treasure Hall.

The incense burner in front of Yuantong Treasure Hall.

Yuantong Treasure Hall is also called Guanyin Treasure Hall.

Inside Yuantong Treasure Hall, the enshrined Pilu Guanyin is a full-gold-coated sandalwood seated Buddha, nine meters high.

On the four surrounding walls of Yuantong Treasure Hall, many small Bodhisattvas are enshrined.

This is the Sutra Depository of Hengshan Temple.

Inside Hengshan Temple, there are also many Buddha statues enshrined, such as "Secret-Vajra" and "Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva."

Leaving Hengshan Temple, we walked to "Yifan Happy Farm."

There is a large body of water here where you can go boating.

There are many children's amusement rides here.

Children can ride ponies here.

Here you can feed squirrels and rabbits; it is the children's favorite area.

Next, we came to Shanshui Fang.

There is also a large body of water around Shanshui Fang.

Visitors are feeding goldfish here.

A group of white geese also came to join the fun.

A young couple fed the fish while taking photos.

Next, we came to Yisi Garden.

There is a Nine-bend Bridge here.

There is a "Three Pools Mirroring the Moon" here.

You can also watch fish here.

The environment within Hengshan North Putuo Theme Cultural Park is beautiful, sacred, and solemn. The park also has service facilities such as a vegetarian buffet restaurant and a tea room.

The park has a large lotus and water lily pond, covering an area of 3,000 square meters, planted with various colors of lotus and water lilies.

Every year when the lotuses bloom, they attract many visitors to admire and take photos. But when we went, we could only see withered lotuses.

Among the withered lotuses in the pond, I unexpectedly captured a rare autumn lotus bloom.

Among the withered lotuses in the pond, I unexpectedly captured a rare autumn water lily bloom.

Next, we arrived at Jingxin Lake, where there are over ten thousand fish of more than a dozen precious species, as well as turtles. Visitors can feed fish and enjoy the scenery here. The koi in Jingxin Lake.

Jingxin Lake has many released turtles.

Across from Jingxin Lake is "Luojia Mountain."

On the steep cliff of Luojia Mountain, there are 38 large and small grottoes, inside which are stone Buddha statues of various postures. Under the dense trees and slanting sunlight, Luojia Mountain reflects the water and the grottoes appear faintly, highlighting the mysterious, solemn, and transcendent atmosphere of the Buddhist scenic area.

There is a corridor of Duhai Temple over Jingxin Lake.

After crossing the bridge over the lake and climbing 233 steps, you arrive at Guanyin Terrace. Guanyin Terrace is one of the main attractions of Hengshan North Putuo Theme Cultural Park.

Guanyin Square covers an area of 7,999 square meters, and the largest bronze Guanyin statue in Northeast China is located here. The statue enshrined here is Duhai Guanyin. The Guanyin statue is 19.9 meters high, and with the base, the total height is 39.9 meters.

Hengshan North Putuo Theme Cultural Park does not charge an admission fee; parking costs 10 yuan per vehicle. Photo taken at Hengshan North Putuo Theme Cultural Park.