Youqi Temple is located at the southern foot of Zutang Mountain in the southern suburbs of Nanjing, far from Hongjue Temple. It was built in the third year of Liu Song and Daming in the Southern Dynasties (459). It is a famous temple in the early days of the "480 Temple in Southern Dynasties", with a history of 1500 years. Zutang Mountain, a branch of Niushou Mountain in the north, was named Youqi Mountain in the Six Dynasties, which was named after the temple name. The bamboo sea on the mountain is quiet, which complements the name of the right flag. In the early years of Zhenguan in the Tang Dynasty, the ancestral method of Niutou Zen was compiled here. In the heyday of Niutou, Youqi Temple was renamed Zutang Temple to commemorate the ancestral method of Niutou, and the temple was named Zutang Temple. At the same time, Youqi Mountain was renamed Zutang Mountain, which is still in use today.
During the Zhenguan period of Emperor Taizong (627-649), a monk, Farong Zen Master, practiced in the cave on the north cliff of this mountain, was taught by the four ancestors of Zen, and founded a branch of Zen, Niutouzong, which was called the "ancestor of Nanzong". Youqi Temple is the birthplace of Niutou School, that is, "Jiangbiao Niutou", also known as Nanzong Zutang, so it was renamed Zutang Temple. Youqi Mountain was also renamed Zutang Mountain. In the fourth year of Guangqi in the late Tang Dynasty (888), the temple was abandoned. In the second year of the Five Dynasties (930), Youqi Temple was rebuilt to prolong its life. Li Bian, a martyr in the Southern Tang Dynasty, often visited here when he was busy with his official duties. Li Jing, the leader of China, also came here to worship Buddha many times, and Li Xia, the leader of China, also came here to worship Buddha many times. Later leader Li Yu built a large number of temples here. After their death, they were buried at the southern foot of Zutang Mountain, near Youqi Temple. Their tomb is commonly known as Taizidun, which is the "Second Mausoleum of Southern Tang Dynasty". Li Yu, the late master, built thousands of temples to protect the tomb of the late emperor, which is equivalent to the royal mausoleum temple (namely, the tomb temple and the merit temple). Its origin can be traced back to the custom of building a tomb next to the temple in the Six Dynasties to pray for the blessings of the deceased. The Zutangshan cemetery is still at the foot of the South Mountain of Youqi Temple. In the Northern Song Dynasty (1064- 1067), the old name of Youqi Temple was restored. When it was rebuilt in the Ming Dynasty, it was also called Zutang Temple. The temple was built on the mountain, and it was very large. From the foot of the mountain to the gate, it is a long ancient road with towering trees. Leaves cover the sky, and temples are scattered all over the place. Up to now, we can still see the words "Built in the 15th year of Jiajing (1536)" engraved on the wall brick of the site. According to Brahma's records in Jinling in Ming Dynasty, Zutang Temple is a middle temple, which belongs to Hongzhi Temple. In Jianye Township in the southern suburbs of foreign countries, there are four small temples: Jishan Temple, Yongtai Temple, Ninghai Temple and Jingju Temple. The temple covers an area of 243.2 mu, reaching the top of Sibaogai Mountain in the east and Wu Fengling in the north. The main buildings in the temple are King Kong Hall, Tianwang Hall, Buddha Hall, Thousand Buddha Hall, Guanyin Hall, Zuohuayan Building and Zuoshuilu Hall. The third floor is Zen Hall, and the second floor is Zhaitang. There are boundless halls, cloisters and bridges in front of the temple. There are also 508.43 mu of commons, land and mountain ponds in the temple, and there are many historical sites such as Youqi Mountain, Zushi Cave, Chaoyang Cave, Tiger Running Spring, Scarab Pond, Perfume Sea and "Buddha" Stone. The base site of the temple covers an area of more than 240 mu, with more than 500 mu of fields and ponds. In particular, the temple also governed several small temples nearby in the Ming Dynasty. There are buildings in front of the temple, such as no-beam hall, cloister and bridge. By the Qing Dynasty, there were still more than 400 temples in the whole temple. In the early Qing Dynasty, Kun Can, a painting monk with the same fame as Shi Tao and Badashan people, once lived in seclusion in the stone room of the temple, leaving many famous paintings. In the Qing Dynasty, the "Zutang Town West" with 48 scenic spots in Jinling was the scenery of Youqi Temple at that time, and it was rated as more quiet than Hongjue Temple separated by a mountain. Unfortunately, after the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom War, the building of Youqi Temple disappeared.
After the reconstruction of Tongzhi (1862- 1874) and Guangxu (1875- 1908), Youqi Temple gradually recovered its old appearance. Until the Republic of China, incense flourished here. In 1930s, when Zhu Dai and others visited the temple, they saw that the temple was built on the mountain, crossed the bridge over the Liangliang Hall, and was a two-story Heavenly King Hall with a cloister leading to the Ursa Major Hall, which was magnificent and called a giant hall. After the temple, go up the stairs, pass a temple market, and there is a Tibetan temple in the west, which is quite well carved. From the main hall to the east is the abbot's courtyard, and there is a simple statue of Guanyin with a thousand hands upstairs. After the temple is built, there is a road leading to Gubaitai. Please invite the three Buddhas to lead the Buddha. Nobody said anything, and the environment was almost quiet. Literati and writers of all ages like to go to Zutang Mountain, Youqi Temple, Xianhuayan and other places, leaving many poems. Yin Mai's poem "Niu Shoushan reads cold words and sits at night" describes his scene of staying at Youqi Temple and reciting Buddhist scriptures at night, and expresses his deep reverence for the founder of Yi Chan Buddhism in Nanjing. There is a cloud in the poem: "The four mountains are calm and the forest is hollow. Suddenly, I was able to enter the house in China, and I was proud that I was not poor. In a shady place, a path
Listen to the moonlight in the distance. * * * Deer and birds are still integrated into the ceremony in Luo Yan after the warm spring in bloom. Yu Binshuo, a Fujian native in the Qing Dynasty, wrote poems about Jinling's victory. One of them, "Flower-Offering Rock", said: The crappy palace is set in the sun, and the west wind is set. The bells are staggered but waiting for the bright moon, and the pine and fir suddenly smell the thunder. The monk was sitting in Ding Yanli, and the wild bird forgot his hand. If you want to be beautiful, cold clouds will fill the pavilion all day.
Youqi Temple has long been dilapidated. After liberation, especially the temple was demolished, and buildings such as Wuliangdian were demolished and converted into Zutangshan Mental Hospital. 1992 site was listed as a cultural relic protection unit in Nanjing, and the mental hospital moved out in 2003. At present, there are still sacrificial platforms, crescent ponds, Yinding Bridge, Chi Pan Pavilion, stone steps, ancient wells, ancestral caves and brick houses rebuilt with old bricks in Ming and Qing Dynasties, and even the ruins of Buddhist Scripture Building and Zhang Fang Room are still faintly visible. Another Ming Dynasty bronze bell is now in Jiangning District Museum.
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