Multisensory Niushoushan – The "Secluded" and "Simple" Atmosphere of Niutou Zen Culture Park

Travel date: March 2021. Travel mode: self-driving. Address: Nanjing Niushoushan Scenic Area. Ticket: 98 yuan. Walking route in the park: East Gate – Foding Front Garden – Foding Temple – Ming Dynasty Cliff Inscriptions – Niutou Zen Culture Park – Foding Pagoda – Foding Palace – Wuyoumen Square – Foding Front Garden – East Gate.

The park boasts lush vegetation, with majestic mountains and forests as well as elegant little gardens. Spring flowers bloom one after another, fresh and beautiful. At a turn, a Tang-style pavilion corridor serves as a stop for the tourist minibus.

We walked slowly uphill, chatting along the way, in a cheerful mood and with light steps. After a bend, Foding Pagoda suddenly sprang into view. Perched on the hilltop, it is one of the landmarks of the Foding Sacred Zone and a symbol of Niushoushan, visible from any angle in the park and even from many parts of Jiangning.

Two pure-looking trees by the roadside caught my eye at once. They were unique, clean, and exuded an air of aloof superiority. However, the photos don't quite capture the feeling I had when I saw them in person.

Halfway up the hill, a towered paifang called "Chaotian Que" stood by the roadside. The tower built on the hillside provided a perfect spot for visitors to rest, refresh, and continue their climb.

Spotting a sign for the "Ming Dynasty Cliff Inscriptions," we made a quick detour off the main road and took a wild mountain path to go there first.

I guessed this wild path was the old hiking trail before Niushoushan was developed on a large scale; it was steep. Such a trail suddenly made the walking much more interesting.

Near the summit, we found these inscriptions on the north cliff of Doushuai Rock on Niushoushan's eastern peak. The carving area wasn't large, with five niches cut into the cliff face—three on the north wall and two on the east. Within the five niches, differing numbers of statues were carved, totaling 133 statues of various sizes. In the central niche was a statue of Sakyamuni. On either side of the niches were four Sanskrit inscriptions.

Just a short climb from the inscriptions was Niutou Zen Culture Park.

Niutou Zen Culture Park was built on the ruins of Hongjue Temple. Pavilions and terraces surrounded a green lawn. By the mountain side of the lawn stood Hongjue Temple Pagoda.

At the heart of Niutou Zen Culture Park is this Hongjue Pagoda, the oldest surviving imitation-wood structured brick pagoda in the Nanjing area. Hongjue Temple was the birthplace of the Niutou School of Buddhism, originally built in the second year of the Tianjian reign of Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty (503 AD), and restored during the Zhengtong reign of the Ming Dynasty. Now the temple is gone but the pagoda remains. During the Qing Dynasty, to avoid the taboo of sharing the personal name of Emperor Qianlong (Hongli), it was renamed Hongjue Temple.

Standing 45 meters tall, Hongjue Pagoda is a classic Jiangnan-style tower combining brick and timber, octagonal on the outside and square inside, with seven stories and eight faces. Now under protection, we could only admire it from the outside.

The courtyard features traditional Jiangnan-style wooden architecture, all displaying the style of Tang-dynasty buildings.

This ancient pagoda stands quietly here, through generations and years, witnessing the endless stream of humanity.

From the long corridor, we looked at Foding Pagoda and Foding Palace, with crowds coming and going. But here, visitors were few, offering a Zen-like tranquility and simplicity. We chose to rest here, avoiding the crowds and enjoying the peace alone. We shared the dry food we had brought, and lightened the load for the companions who had been carrying things up the mountain.

Leaving Niutou Zen Culture Park, we headed straight down to the large square below. There, we looked up at the ancient Hongjue Pagoda.

Next up were the main attractions of Niushoushan...