[Photo/ fjta.com]

Drum Mountain is located 8 kilometers away from east of Fuzhou, stretching over 1,890 hectares. Its highest peak is 919 meters above sea level. According to legend, there sits at the mountaintop a huge stone flat as a drum that produces drum-beating sound whenever it rains. Hence it is named Drum Mountain.

One of the top 10 scenic areas in Fujian, Drum Mountain boasts Dharma Eighteen Scenes, Baiyun Cave, Guling Resort, Shanxi Stream, Moxi Stream, etc. It is widely believed that a trip in Fuzhou not including the Mountain will prove to be pointless.

Of all the beautiful spots and historical sites in the mountain, nearly a hundred are domestically well-known. Yongquan Temple (Spring-gushing Temple) at the half way up the mountain, for example, is listed at the top of the five major temples in Fujian. It covers an area of 1.67 hectares with 25 halls. The temple was built in A.D. 908, with its name deriving from a spring gushing out of the ground. In its prime, there were over 1,000 monks in the temple.

[Photo/ fjta.com]

The temple spread its name further as it made contribution to the development of Buddhism in China. Its founder, Master Shen Yan was conferred an honorary title of Guoshi by the King of Min; later, Master Miao Lian was favorably treated by Empress Dowager Cixi during the reign of Emperor Guangxu (1871-1908) in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911); in modern times, Master Yuan Ying was selected as the president of the National Buddhist Association. All these testify to the crucial role the temple has played in the Buddhist circle.

The imposing temple possesses majestic shining halls and awe-inspiring Buddhist figures. The annually blossoming sago cycas trees (a species that rarely blossoms), the uninflammable wenge altar, and the blood scriptures written by generations of accomplished monks are valued as the three treasures of the temple.

These aside, over 300 age-old stone inscriptions could be found in the mountain. But most are around the Lingyuan Cave. Here with a collection of various styles, it’s a rare natural calligraphy gallery of generations of historically famous poets and scholars.

[Photo/ fjta.com]