Niushou Mountain Cultural Tourism Zone

Niushou Mountain Cultural Tourism Zone lies in the Jiangning District of Nanjing, Jiangsu. Standing 242.9 meters high and spanning around 5,500 hectares, it gets its name from two opposite peaks—eastern and western—that form a horn-like shape, earning it the common name "Ox Head Mountain." Once with two intact peaks, the mountain now has only the eastern peak well-preserved, as iron ore mining has badly damaged the western one.

Highlights of Niushoushan Cultural Tourism Zone

Foding Palace

The interior of the Foding Palace

Foding Palace (Buddha's Crown Palace) permanently enshrines the Buddha's parietal relic. As a huge pit-style building, it measures 220 meters long, 160 meters wide and 89.3 meters high, with a total floor area of about 136,000 square meters. Its exterior has three main parts: the Grand Dome looks like Buddha's robe, the Small Dome like his topknot, and the Buddhist Cliff Carvings sit on a base shaped like a lotus throne. Inside its nine floors are three holy spaces—the Zen Grand View, the Relic Worship Hall and the Relic Treasury. It serves both as the main place to honor the sacred relic and as a cultural display, skillfully showing Buddhist relic culture and global Zen traditions through various art forms, combining grand architecture with deep spiritual meaning.

Foding Pagoda

Foding Pagoda

Foding Pagoda is a key landmark in the Foding Holy Realm. Standing nearly 88 metres tall with a 5,065 sq m floor area, it is a nine-storey, four-sided Tang-style structure. It pairs with the Ming Dynasty Hongjue Temple Pagoda to bring back Niushou Mountain's historic "twin pagodas" grandeur. Inside the pagoda, there is a seated Vairocana Buddha statue. It also has a full bronze Tang-style replica Vajra Bell, inscribed with the entire Diamond Sutra and other Buddhist scriptures. Climbing up gives great views of Niushou Mountain's seasonal beauty, letting visitors feel its calm grandness and deep Buddhist culture.

Foding Temple

Foding Temple began in the early Southern Dynasties and is the birthplace of the Ox-head Chan School. It covers about 45,360 square meters (68 mu), with buildings taking up nearly 26,680 square meters (40 mu). Built in Tang style along a traditional central axis, it has seven main halls, surrounded by monks' quarters and a refectory. Visitors see the stone carving "Sermon on Vulture Peak" when entering. A Maitreya Buddha statue is in the Heavenly King Hall. The temple also holds Sangharama Bodhisattva and statues of the Ox-head School’s six patriarchs. Its classic buildings have fine statues, and top Chinese horticulturists designed the gardens. Seasonal plants add a meditative feel, and dry landscape gardens spread through the grounds, making it quiet and full of Zen. It’s ideal for worship, vows and prayer.

Ancient Ramparts of Yue Fei's Anti-Jin Campaign

The Ancient Ramparts of Yue Fei's Anti-Jin Campaign stretch on and off over 4,200 meters. They run from Hanfu Mountain by the Qinhuai River (500 meters east of Tiexin Bridge) to Banjue Mountain's main peak, with 2,000 meters winding from Niushou Mountain's foothills to its ridge. Made of local red-brown stones, these walls have bases 1.5-3 meters wide and stand about 1 meter tall, their winding remains following the land. Built in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), this military site saw Yue Fei's famous fight against Jurchen invaders. Walking these old fortifications, visitors can almost feel the bravery of Yue's troops and think about this key part of Chinese history. The ramparts are both an important cultural relic and a strong symbol of patriotic heritage.

Educational Value

Niushou Mountain, where the Ox-head Chan School began, has a deep Buddhist cultural history. Landmarks like Foding Palace and Foding Temple work as both religious places and cultural spread platforms. In Foding Palace, relic shows and Buddhist art sculptures, together with Foding Temple’s enshrinement of Ox-head Chan patriarchs and doctrine explanations, clearly show how Buddhism spread in China and became part of local culture. Visitors can not only learn Buddhist history and key beliefs (like kindness, good deeds, and karma) but also see how Buddhism mixed with traditional Chinese culture—in architecture, garden beauty, and literature.

Activities to do at Niushoushan Cultural Tourism Zone

Dunhuang-themed Study Tour Activities

At the Foding Palace, "Dunhuang No Longer Distant: From Mogao Caves to Niushou Mountain Digital Art Exhibition" is underway until November 10, 2026. Here, visitors can feast their eyes on nearly 20 high-fidelity reproduced murals. Based on this exhibition, the scenic area has rolled out a range of Dunhuang-themed educational activities. These include "My Dunhuang Mural Creation: Mogao Dream Adobe Painting," "Uncovering Dunhuang's Color Mysteries: Mineral Pigment Making Experience," and "Simulated Dunhuang Mural Restoration." Participants get to personally grind minerals into pigments, create adobe paintings, and try mural restoration techniques. It's a hands-on way to explore the fascinating Dunhuang culture.