Yufeng Temple

Yufeng Temple

At the southern foot of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, 13 kilometers (nine miles) northwest away from the Lijiang Old Town is a small lamasery named Yufeng Temple - one of the Scarlet Sect lamaseries of Lijiang. First built in 1756 during the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911), it used to have nine courtyards, but only the gate tower, the main hall and two courtyards have remained after so many years' historical vicissitude. The beautiful sceneries around the temple are special gifts from the deity. The temple backs onto a snow mountain and faces a meadow. It is surrounded by the flourishing forest and a never-dried river. All this makes it a really good place to visit.

The whole Yufeng Temple shows a distinctive and conjunct architectural style of Han Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism, Taoism and the local Naxi Dongba Religion due to the cultural communion between different minorities and different areas in the Qing Dynasty. It is the compatible and harmonious trait makes the Naxi culture develop and enrich so quickly.

The best time to experience the ravishing views of Yufeng Temple is in late spring and early summer, because the famous camellia tree is in full blossomy during the period. It is said that camellia tree was planted in Emperor Chenghua's era of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and that is to say, the tree is older than Yufeng Temple. The flowers of the camellia tree could bloom for more than 100 days, and there are altogether twenty thousand flowers bloom in 20 batches. The camellia tree is three meters (ten feet) in height and 34 centimeters (one foot) in diameter and the Lamas in the temple pleach the blanches of the camellia tree subtly into a 56 square meters (67 yards) flowery canopy. When stepping close to the tree, you find yourself plunging into an ocean of redolent and beauteous flowers. Look at the flowers carefully and see if you can find out the uniqueness of this old camellia tree: the intoxicating flowers are of two different varieties. The bigger ones are pink and nine pistillate while the smaller ones are white and single pistillate; two trees, which originally grew side by side, have now, over the years, entwined. With the irradiation of the brilliant sunglow and the contrast of the green grassland, the flowering tree looks like burning flames from beyond. It is the real 'King of the Camellia Trees'.
 

Palace in Yufeng Si

A Courtyard of Yufeng Temple

Yufeng Temple is a historical witness of the peaceful coexistence and syncretism of multinational cultures and religions, and still plays a very important role in acculturation of Naxi Ethnic Group.