Qingquan Temple, a sacred place of incense in northern Sichuan, is located in Nanchong

Qingquan Temple is situated on Qingquan Mountain by the Jialing River in Nanchong City, Sichuan Province. The exact time of the temple's establishment is unknown, but it is said to have been founded during the Tang Dynasty. There is a stone stele in the temple that records an imperial edict from the Song Dynasty (1009), which designated the temple as 'Qingquan Institute'. The temple suffered severe damage due to a fire during the Yuan Dynasty. In the thirteenth year of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty (1585), locals raised funds to repair the temple and the stairway, making it more accessible for visitors. Almost completely destroyed in modern times, the opera tower, front hall, and right wing room are no longer there. Only parts of the Mahavira Hall and the left wing room remain. The temple was restored and rebuilt in the 1990s. The Mahavira Hall features a resting mountain-style roof and a five-bay interlocking beam structure that is characteristic of northern Sichuan style. The site has excellent feng shui, with beautiful scenery where mountains and water converge. Qingquan Temple is now a city-level cultural heritage protection unit in Nanchong. Throughout the Nanchong urban area, there are many ancient temples, but for some reason, the most popular in terms of incense offerings is definitely Qingquan Temple in Shunqing. Once secluded, Qingquan Temple was located on Qingquan Mountain. With urban development in recent years, the mountain was leveled to create Qingquan Temple Park, which is now open to the public for free. Surrounded by high-rise buildings, Qingquan Temple Park has become an important cultural, leisure, and entertainment venue in the new municipal district.