Once upon a time, a monk abbot took an alms bowl and gathered money to construct a temple, and named it Lianquan Temple, which refers to the two connected springs where the temple was built. After the temple was built, the leftover alms were changed into gold. The myth states that there were so much gold that it filled up seventy two big pickle barrels. The abbot buried the gold, and hoped one day the gold could be used to renovate the temple. When he was dying, he said: “ The gate fell, there’s no door; The people here are no more; In by seven steps, Out by seven steps, Seventy two barrels of pickle in a store. 山门倒, 人不在, 七步里, 七步外, 存有七十二缸老咸菜。”

Many years have passed. The story that is told says that the other monks, trying to find the gold barrels, tore down the walls, demolished the buildings, and destroyed the temple, all without finding a single grain of gold. Will we be the ones to finally uncover the lost gold?

Sitting at the foot of Mt. Dafangshan is the largest and oldest imperial mausoleum complex in Beijing. It was constructed over a period of 60 years encompassing the reigns of five emperors, from Emperor Hailingwang to Emperor Xuanzong of the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234). This imperial mausoleum hosts 17 emperors and princes, 23 empresses and concubines, and numerous Jurchen aristocrats.

However, in the course of history, the Jin Mausoleum suffered near complete destruction. Particularly in 1622 and 1623 during the late Ming Dynasty, the Ming emperor experienced military setbacks in his war with the Manchurians, the descendants of Jurchen. He was convinced that the invincibility of Manchurians was the result of a blessing from their ancestors buried in Beijing over five centuries ago and ordered the tombs almost completely destroyed. During the Qing Dynasty, an attempt at restoration created even more destruction, and as a final blow in the 20th century, all of the tombs were raided by tomb raiders and later transformed into terraced fields for farmers crops.

While there may not be much treasure to be found anymore, this site remains as a crucially important piece of history.

Highlights

Lianquan Temple ruins with hidden treasure

Jin Mausoleum with crucially important piece of history

Fantastic views in the mountains of Fangshan