It is located in Silipeng, Yingcheng City, Xiaogan City, Hubei Province, five miles east of Yingcheng. There is a stacked hill here, which was named Incense Burning Terrace 300 years ago in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties.
Legend has it that a long time ago, the ancestral god saw this as a geomantic treasure and planned to have his ghost appear here. But this place is located on the shore of the ancient Yunmeng River, and there is a fishy smell blowing in the wind from time to time. The ancestor god couldn't smell the fishy smell, so he gave up here and chose Mulan Mountain. The faithful men and women from Yingcheng rested here when they went to pay homage to Mulan Mountain. Later, it became a custom that after leaving the house on the first day of the Lunar New Year, the host would go straight on the road without entering the house. When he arrived here, it was already broad daylight, and he would burn a stick of incense here and make a silent wish to show his sincerity. So the incense burning platform got its name.
At the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, a monk named Jiatai traveled here and built a triangular thatched shed and a shrine for people to burn incense and worship. The surrounding people began to call it Cao Temple. Soon, monk Jiatai went around asking for help, and with the support of the village gentlemen, he built an ancestral temple with three light and dark colors, and two disciples, Yue Guang and Yue Yue. On the first, fifteenth and twenty-third days of every month, and on Buddhist festivals such as the first day of the first lunar month, the nineteenth day of February, the third day of March, the eighth day of April, the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month and other Buddhist festivals every year, cigarette smoke lingers and whips sound incessantly. This place is famous for its incense burning platform.
The Incense-Burning Platform is the hill closest to the gate of Yingcheng. It is the commanding heights in the east of Yingcheng and is located in a strategic location. Therefore, military strategists often stationed here, making it a must-win place for military strategists. In the first month of the fourth year of Xianfeng in the Qing Dynasty (1854), Chen Yucheng, the general of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, defeated the official army in Huangzhou and took advantage of the victory to capture Hanyang. On the 19th day of the first lunar month, the Yangtze River Port of Yingcheng was occupied, and Ling Jinbang was captured and killed while patrolling. On March 13, the troops garrisoned the incense platform and fought with Bai Chujie's troops sent by Weng Jishi, the magistrate of Yingcheng County. They defeated Bai Chujie and captured Yingcheng.
The incense-burning platform rises abruptly and majestically, not only like a giant dragon standing in the east of the city gate, embodying the aura of Yingcheng’s landscape; but also like a majestic monument, engraved with the stories of various eras. history and culture. The Chenmen Wang Family Chastity Arch is a mark left by feudal culture here. The archway is parallel to the Ancestral Temple, about 80 meters apart. It was built in the winter of the 14th year of the Republic of China (1925). The archway is 6 meters high, and the four stone lions in front of the four stone pillars are lifelike. Behind the square is a stone plaque with a preface by Jiang Zuobin, deputy minister of the Ministry of War of the Nationalist Government. The preface is written in regular script and is vigorous and powerful. It is truly a rare calligraphy treasure.
At the incense burning stand, as winter passes and spring comes, the atmosphere is full of spring: green grass on the ground, verdant pine branches, and the gentle spring breeze bringing bursts of birdsong and scent of flowers, which often make people relaxed and happy, and never forget to leave. Therefore, this place has become a spring outing destination for people during the March 3rd Outing Festival. In the past hundred years, every year on March 3rd, young men and women, especially those living in the city gates, have been invited to go on a youth tour, laughing, playing and chasing, composing poems and chanting, singing loudly, and having a great time.
The Shouning Zen Temple at the Incense Burning Platform has a long history, and its influence has spread to Hong Kong and Taiwan. Nanshan Monk Temple and Beishan Nunnery have large communities and magnificent temples. Every Buddhist day, pilgrims and tourists flock to the temple, and the scene is spectacular. It has become a famous Buddhist holy place.