Tucked into the eastern foothills of Mount Cong and overlooking the Tanglang River, Anning Caoxi Monastery has operated as a center of Chan Buddhism since the Song Dynasty. The temple takes its name from the Guangdong teaching site of Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch of Chan Buddhism, establishing a direct spiritual lineage across southern China.

The monastery follows a strict east-west axis, stepping upward along the mountain slope through a series of traditional courtyards. Visitors pass through the Mountain Gate and the Hall of Heavenly Kings before reaching the Baohua Pavilion. This main hall represents a rare survival of early timber architecture in southwestern China. When architectural historians Liang Sicheng and Lin Huiyin surveyed the site in 1939, they documented its post-and-lintel frame and the heavy wooden bracket sets supporting its double-eave roof. Inside, the hall houses highly valued wooden sculptures of Buddhist sages, carved from single blocks of elm during the Song Dynasty.

The architecture of the Baohua Pavilion also functions as a precise astronomical instrument. Beneath the upper eaves sits a circular opening measuring exactly 42 centimeters across. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, moonlight passes through this aperture and strikes the central Buddha statue. As the moon rises in the night sky, the beam of light travels slowly from the statue's forehead down to its navel. This phenomenon, known as the "Caoxi Moon Reflection," demonstrates a sophisticated alignment of structural design, celestial observation, and religious symbolism.

Beyond the main hall, the temple grounds hold a 700-year-old plum tree from the Yuan Dynasty and stone inscriptions left by Ming Dynasty scholars. The site remains an active place of worship today, hosting traditional ceremonies while preserving centuries of architectural history.