Jingying Temple Scenic Area

(Image source: Internet)

Jingying Temple Scenic Area is about 35 km away from Jiaozuo city, with a total area of about 30 square kilometers. Its name is related to “Jing Ying temple,” a one-thousand-year-old ancient Buddhist temple. It has been the Holy Land for the elegant people of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism for self-cultivation since ancient times. The picturesque scenic area is composed of eight areas (with more than 100 scenic spots), namely: Five-Dragon Cave, Yunquan River, Shuijingzhang, Shuanglonghui, Jingying Basin, Yellow Dragon Cave, Fairy valley, and Wolong Gorge. The scenic area runs from the northeast to southwest. The Matou Mountain (the peak) is 1,259 meters above the sea level. The coverage rate of primeval forest is over 98%, with more than 2,000 kinds of plants. Here, you can see lush trees, green valleys, blooming colorful flowers, streams, waterfalls, and macaques. The mountains also have monkey species.

Monks in the Jingying Temple had the custom of practicing Chinese martial arts. One day, a monk created a new set of boxing by imitating an ape’s action in the Northern Song Dynasty. Because of power and flexibility, it was named as Ape Tongbei Boxing. Its core spirit is overcoming hardness with softness. Ape Tongbei Boxing includes 108 moves within 8 forms, which represent the spirit of Bagua (literally: "eight diagrams") - heaven, lake, fire, thunder, wind, water, mountain, and earth. Ape Tongbei Boxing plays a very important role in Chinese martial arts.