In the late Tang Dynasty (AD 618~907), Southern zenist and eminent monk Chuang Zi loved the natural landscape. He ferried people cross Wujiang River at Zhujing, Huating, so people called him Monk Chuang Zi. He passed away as the boat was capsized. Faren Temple was the place where he stayed when he was alive. Many people came to Wujing to look for his tracks.
De Cong, an eminent monk of Zen who became a monk at seven years old greatly respected Monk Chuang Zi. He came to Wujing in AD 978 to look for the tracks of Monk Chuang Zi. When he arrived at the nine peaks, he saw the tranquil Sheshan Mountain covered with luxuriant trees.
He thought it was a good place for self cultivation, so he built a cottage aside the Huacang Nunnery in the eastern peak of Sheshan Mountain. As his name is De Cong, the villagers all called him Monk Cong. In the second year, he began to build Puzhao Temple and Moon Pavilion. He was kind-hearted and good at medical science.
He treated diseases for the people. In Sheshan Mountain, there were two tigers. They got along well with Monk Cong. He called the two tigers Da Qing and Xiao Qing. The two tigers stayed with Monk Cong day and night.
Monk Cong hung Buddhist sutra over the beam and practiced meditation all day long. One year, it snowed heavily and the mountain was covered with thick snow. Monk Cong did not eat anything in 40-50 days and did not feel hungry.
In the end, he passed away while sitting cross legged. After the monk died, the two tigers did not eat anything and stayed aside Monk Cong's tomb and moaned all day long. They died shortly after.
Moved by the loyalty of the tigers, the villagers buried the two tigers near Monk Cong's tomb. Next year, a gingko tree grew out from each of the tiger tombs. To commemorate this miraculous fate between man and tigers, people built a pavilion near Monk Cong's tomb, and named it Tiger Tree Pavilion.
Tiger Tree Pavilion, tiger tombs and Monk Cong's tomb are collectively called "tracks of monks" among the top ten attractions of Sheshan Mountain.
