Heavenly King Hall

Entering the temple through Heavenly King Hall you are met by the tub-bellied Milefo (Laughing Buddha), flanked by four heavenly kings. The classical Chinese inscription reads: 'When entering, regard Buddha and afterwards pay your respects to the four kings of heaven'.

Behind Milefo is Wei Tuo, protector of Buddhist monasteries, who safeguards Buddhist doctrine and relics. He holds a stick that points to the ground, indicating that the temple is rich and can provide visiting monks with board and lodging (if the stick is held horizontally it means the temple is poor and is a polite way of saying 'find somewhere else to stay').