A Blessed Land for Praying for Children and a Leisure Paradise for Enjoying Flowers: Luoyang Lingshan

Lingshan, located in Yiyang County, 40 kilometers southwest of Luoyang, the millennium capital, is named after the legend that King Ling of Zhou was buried here after his death. Lingshan is a branch of the Xiong'er Mountains, rising 500 meters above sea level, standing tall on the south bank of the Luo River.

Provincial Highway S319 runs between Lingshan and the Luo River. On the south side is the time-honored thousand-year-old temple Lingshan Temple, and on the north side is the recently developed leisure resort Lingshan Lotus Park.

Lingshan Temple, originally named Baozhong Temple or Bao'en Temple, also known as Fenghuang Temple, was first built in the Tang Dynasty, flourished in the Song Dynasty, and took its current form in the third year of the Dading reign of the Jin Dynasty. Historically, it was also called the sister temple of the White Horse Temple, with the White Horse Temple located east of Luoyang City and Lingshan Temple west of Luoyang City.

Lingshan Temple is quite different from ordinary temples. Temples generally face south, but Lingshan Temple faces north, with its back against Lingshan and its front facing the Luo River, showcasing its unique elegance.

Lingshan Temple enshrines one of the most beloved deities in China—the kind-eyed and compassionate Guanyin Bodhisattva. Praying to Guanyin for children is a timeless Chinese tradition of seeking blessings. The Guanyin Bodhisattva at Lingshan Temple is said to be the most compassionate among the compassionate, and praying here for children is said to be the most efficacious. Whether it's truly the most efficacious or not, the Guanyin Bodhisattva here is kind-eyed, gentle, and graceful—if not the most beautiful, certainly among them. The chubby child in the bodhisattva's arms is very clever and adorable.

Lingshan Temple's thriving incense has long been famous far and wide. The thousand-year-old ginkgo tree in the temple has witnessed both historical prosperity and today's flourishing.

The hall with the most vibrant incense at Lingshan Temple is the Laomu Cave. Inside, enshrined are more than a dozen kind-eyed and gentle-hearted mothers, including the Heavenly Mother, Earthly Mother, Guanyin Mother, Samantabhadra Mother, and Manjushri Mother, collectively embodying people's heartfelt wishes for a house full of children and grandchildren and abundant blessings.

In front of Laomu Cave, a three-faced Guanyin statue overlooks pilgrims coming from all directions, spreading endless blessings and peace.

Sacred mountain, sacred water, sacred fortune, sacred wishes—every pilgrim seeks their inner vision here, praying that their dreams will come true one by one.

Opposite Lingshan Temple is Luoyang Lingshan Lotus Park, also known as Luoyang Lingshan International Water City. Built to the standards of a national 5A-level scenic spot, it is a large-scale leisure paradise integrating lotus viewing, hot spring wellness, water entertainment, a 5D cinema, water curtain movies, Dream Guanyin, specialty dining, express hotels, and villa resorts, covering an area of over 1,500 mu, with dozens of lotus varieties and dozens of hot spring pools.

The Lotus Fairy in the park faces the Guanyin Bodhisattva of Lingshan Temple from afar, but her demeanor and elegance seem to fall more than a little short, yet this does not affect the pleasant mood of visitors on holiday. The hot springs and the water park in the park are connected, but cameras are not allowed in the hot spring area, so I can only apologize to all readers. When you come, I recommend staying at the hot spring resort hotel inside the park—then you won't need to buy separate tickets for the entrance, hot springs, or amusement park.

When visiting the Lotus Park, besides enjoying the hot springs, the greatest pleasure is, of course, admiring the lotuses. What about its reputation? I'll give you a quick glimpse and let you infer the rest from one small part.

Children love the water park. When they get tired of water, they can also go to the playground to play with toys and meet cartoon characters.

After a full day of play and half a day of sightseeing, in the evening you can take it easy—stroll along the dikes, wander on the islands, listen to the croaking of frogs, enjoy the dim night scenery, watch the water curtain movie, and then drift into a silent and deep slumber.