Qixia Temple.

Located on the maple-covered slopes of Qixia Mountain, Qixia Temple is a sprawling hillside complex that compresses fifteen centuries of Buddhist history into a single active monastery. Founded in 489, this influential birthplace of the Sanlun school functions as an open-air archive of sacred art. The site’s defining feature is the Thousand Buddha Rock, a cliff face carved with over 500 Buddhist statues spanning the Southern, Tang, and Song dynasties. Nearby, the 18-meter-tall, intricately carved stone Sarira Pagoda stands as a masterpiece of Five Dynasties craftsmanship. Visitors can hike past ancient grottoes, natural stone canyons, and the ruins of Emperor Qianlong’s imperial retreat, making it a rare site where religious pilgrimage, art history, and mountain trekking seamlessly merge.