Nantai Temple, Buddhist temple on Mount Heng, Hunan, China.

Nantai Temple stands on Mount Heng in Nanyue District, Hengyang, Hunan. It is the ancestral temple of the Caodong, Fayan and Yunmen schools of Buddhism. The temple was first built by Master Haiyin during the Tianjian period of the Liang dynasty (502–557). Its name comes from a large flat stone east of the temple that resembles a platform.

Nantai Temple was founded between 502 and 557 by Master Haiyin. In 742 Shitou Xiqian built a temple here, and the name comes from a flat stone east of the site. Rebuilt in 1899 after Qing-era collapse, it was damaged during the Cultural Revolution and later restored.

The temple serves as the ancestral center for three Buddhist schools whose teachings and practices continue to be transmitted here. Visitors can observe how this place functions as a living hub for these spiritual traditions.

Nantai Temple stands on Mount Heng in Nanyue District, south of Hengyang. The temple is one of several sites on the mountain, so allow time to walk between halls and terraces. Weather changes with elevation, and paths can be slippery after rain.

In 1907 the Japanese monk Mizuno Baigyo donated 5,700 volumes of Buddhist scriptures and 32 palm-leaf manuscripts to Nantai Temple. Most of this collection was stolen, damaged or destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, so the library no longer survives intact.