Qianfo Mountain - Xingguo Temple

Xingguo Temple is located halfway up Qianfo Mountain in Jinan, built against the mountain with simple and solemn architecture. Originally established during the Sui Dynasty as "Qianfo Temple" (Thousand Buddha Temple), named after the grotto statues on Qianfo Cliff, it was expanded during the Tang Zhenguan era and renamed "Xingguo Temple." It became the largest temple on Qianfo Mountain and is honored as the "Premier Temple of Qianfo." The temple gate faces west, adorned with an inscribed plaque "Xingguo Temple" by Zhao Puchu, flanked by couplets: "Evening drums and morning bells awaken worldly seekers of fame and wealth; Buddhist chants call back those lost in the sea of suffering." On the southern cliff within the temple are Sui and Tang Dynasty grotto statues, totaling 9 caves with over 130 figures. The main cave, Paradise Cave, enshrines Amitabha Buddha along with Guanyin and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattvas. Other notable sites include Dragon Spring Cave, Qianlou Cave, Cave Heaven and Blessed Land Stone Archway, and Dui Hua Pavilion, blending Buddhist, Taoist, and Confucian cultures.