Jiulongpo | Longfeng Temple - Prince's Temple

Longfeng Temple, originally named "Prince's Temple", was founded in the seventh year of the Zhi Zheng era of the Yuan Dynasty (1347 AD) and rebuilt during the Tongzhi era of the Qing Dynasty. It is located on Zhigang Avenue in Jiulongpo District, Chongqing, built against a cliff and adjacent to the mighty Yangtze River, overlooking Jiulong Beach in the Nan'an District to the east. The temple was constructed to pray for the safety and wisdom of passing ships, trackers, and local residents. For hundreds of years, it has been filled with spiritual energy, bustling with worshippers, and famous throughout Bashu. In the early days of liberation, due to the construction of the Chengyu Railway, parts of the temple were demolished. In 2000, with the grace of the Jiulongpo District People's Government, it was officially approved to open to the public. Named after the nearby Longfeng Creek and symbolizing the auspiciousness of the dragon and phoenix, it was renamed "Longfeng Temple". Since the sixteenth year of the Chunxi era of the Southern Song Dynasty (1189), this place belonged to Zhi Li of Ba County, Chongqing Prefecture, dozens of miles east of the prefectural city, facing Xiao Li across the river. In the twenty-eighth year of the Republic of China (1939), it was incorporated into the urban area, under the jurisdiction of the eighth district, and now belongs to Jiulongpo District. The Yangtze River flows from the southwest to the northeast at this location, then suddenly turns from west to east. The bend is sharp and the shoals are dangerous, with deep water and fast currents, known as Jiulong Beach. Ships often encountered danger here. To pray for the safety of ships, merchants, and trackers, in the seventh year of the Zhi Zheng era of the Yuan Dynasty (1347), local gentry and merchants raised funds to build the Prince's Temple to pray for blessings and avoid disasters. After the chaos of the late Ming Dynasty, the temple was long abandoned. It was not until the Tongzhi era of the Qing Dynasty (1862-1874) that local officials rebuilt it, and it began to take on its later scale. The temple stands with its face to the river and its back to the rocks, enshrining the statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva and the Dragon King, who governs the three palaces of the water mansion. Although it also honors Buddhist and Taoist deities, it is neither Buddhist nor Taoist and has no monks or Taoist priests in residence. It is only managed by a "caretaker" responsible for cleaning, oiling lamps, and receiving worshippers. However, for eighty years, on every first and fifteenth day of the lunar month, the temple's incense offerings have been particularly prosperous. Longfeng Temple