Kaiyuan Temple
Quanzhou's largest Buddhist temple, first built in the second year of the Tang Chuigong reign (686); legend holds that the temple was founded when its owner gave up his garden after a mulberry tree bloomed with white lotus flowers — hence the "Purple Clouds Covering the Ground" legend
Visitor info
- Opening hours
- 06:30-17:30
- Ticket
- CNY 10
Price is indicative — final quote on inquiry.
Quanzhou's largest Buddhist temple, first built in the second year of the Tang Chuigong reign (686); legend holds that the temple was founded when its owner gave up his garden after a mulberry tree bloomed with white lotus flowers — hence the "Purple Clouds Covering the Ground" legend. The temple's twin East and West pagodas — Zhenguo Pagoda (East Pagoda, 48 m) and Renshou Pagoda (West Pagoda, 44 m) — are the tallest surviving pair of stone pagodas in China; built in the Southern Song with granite in imitation of timber construction, they withstood a magnitude-8 earthquake in the Ming dynasty, marking the pinnacle of Chinese stone architecture. The Mahavira Hall, with nearly a hundred columns, is popularly known as the "Hundred-Column Hall"; its ceiling features 24 flying-apsara musician dougong brackets that serve as both support and ornament. The Ganlu Ordination Platform is one of China's three great ordination platforms, and the temple houses a Master Hongyi Memorial Hall.
Getting there: on foot, right beside West Street
Photos
More in Quanzhou
- West Street
Quanzhou's earliest developed district, born with the founding of the city in the Tang Kaiyuan era; for 1,300 years it has remained the lively central axis of the old town
- Qingjing Mosque
One of China's oldest surviving mosques, founded in 1009 (the second year of the Dazhong Xiangfu reign, Northern Song) by Muslim merchant guilds from Arabia; its Arabic name was "Ashab Mosque". The granite-built gateway and the surviving pillars of the Fengtian altar still echo the style of the Great Mosque of Damascus in Syria.
- Tianhou Palace
One of the starting points from which the Mazu faith spread to the world: built in 1196 (the second year of the Qingyuan reign, Southern Song), it is one of the oldest Mazu temples still standing.
- Confucian Temple (Fuwenmiao)
Quanzhou's prefectural Confucian temple, first built in the Tang dynasty and rebuilt in the Southern Song; its Dacheng Hall is one of the largest surviving Confucian temple halls in Jiangnan (south of the Yangtze), with a double-eaved hip roof and Song-style dougong brackets well preserved.
- Tonghuai Guanyue Temple (Temple of Guan Yu and Yue Fei)
The busiest Guandi (Lord Guan) temple in southern Fujian by incense traffic; its Ming-dynasty complex consists of a front hall, the Sanyi Hall and a rear hall, with worshippers pouring in all day.
- Chengtian Temple & Chongfu Temple
Chengtian Temple, one of the three great monasteries of southern Fujian, was founded in the Five Dynasties period; its "Ten Scenes of Chengtian", such as "Moon Terrace Reflection" and "Evening Clouds over Yingshan", are scattered through the courtyards. The eminent modern monk Master Hongyi passed away here, and the temple houses a memorial hall dedicated to him.