Buddhist Temple sights in China
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Arhat Temple
Built around 1000 years ago, this still-active temple is now sandwiched between skyscrapers. A notable feature is the corridor flanked by intricate rock carvings found just after you enter the complex, but the main attraction here is Arhat Hall (罗汉堂; Luóhàn Táng), off to your right just after the corridor, which contains 500 terracotta arhats (a Buddhist term for those who have achieved enlightenment and who pass to nirvana at death). Between the stone-carvings corridor and the temple proper there is a reasonably priced vegetarian restaurant with a photo menu.
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Bānruò Temple
One of the largest Buddhist temples in the northeast, Bānruò is a lively place of worship for locals and pilgrims alike. Wander around the temple back alleys and you'll find merchants selling any number of charms, statues, shrines and incense. This religious entrepreneurial spirit is as interesting to observe as the more faith based.
To get here take bus 6 (10 minutes) from Renmin Dajie across from the main bus station and get off at Renmin Guangchang (Renmin Sq). You can also walk from the train-station area in about 30 minutes. The temple was closed at the time of writing but should be reopen by the time you read this.
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Bǎijī Sì
For even better views, head to this delightfully named and little-visited temple. To get there, walk along Dawa Lu past Kevin's Trekker Inn and turn left at the big white stupa.
Just south of town and also overlooking the old town district is another monastery.
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Black Pagoda
Just above the centre of town is a Dai monastery with a steep path beside it leading up to the Black Pagoda – you'll notice it when entering Dàměnglóng. The pagoda itself is actually gold, not black. Take a stroll up and have a chat with the four young monks in residence. The views of Dàměnglóng and surrounding countryside are more interesting than the temple itself.
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Chóngshàn Temple
Lovely and cool in summer, the double-eaved wooden hall in this Ming temple contains three magnificent statues: Samantabhadra (the Bodhisattva of Truth), Guanyin (the Goddess of Mercy with 1000 arms) and Manjusri (the Bodhisattva of Wisdom with 1000 alms bowls). The hall at the rear is in the first stages of a rebuild. The entrance is down an alley off Dilianggong Jie behind the captivatingConfucian Temple, the main hall of which has been converted to a museum to the Shāndōng sage.
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Dōnglín Temple
The resident Buddhist monks welcome visitors warmly to this temple, built in AD 1405 (during the Ming dynasty) and restored in 1668.
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Golden Stupa Temple
Small temple named after long-destroyed golden chörten (Tibetan stupa). Used as place of study by monks at Kumbum Monastery.
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Great Buddha Temple
Originally dating to 1098 (Western Xia dynasty), this excellent temple contains an astonishing 35m-long sleeping Buddha – China's largest of this variety – surrounded by mouldering clay arhats and Qing-dynasty murals. Take a good look at the main hall and the woodwork, including the doors – it's one of the few wooden structures from this era still standing in China. A colony of bats squeaks high up in its rafters along with flitting flocks of swallows. Until the 1960s, small children would clamber into the huge Buddha and play around inside his tummy. The stairs to the floor above are, sadly, inaccessible. Out the back is the impressive white earth stupa (土塔; tǔ…
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Guǎngyuán Temple
Unrestored and inaccessible, the temple's rounded doorway is blocked up with stones and its grounds are seemingly employed by the local farming community.
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Huáng Sìmiào
This Buddhist complex was first built in 1636 and houses the remains of a high-ranking monk. Probably more interesting are the large black statues outside the temple representing all the Qing-dynasty emperors.
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Huáyán Temple
This temple (shut for refurbishment at the time of writing) is divided into two separate complexes, one of which is an active monastery (upper temple), while the other is a museum (lower temple). Built by the Khitan during the Liao dynasty (AD 907–1125), the temple faces east, not south (it's said the Khitan were sun worshippers).
Dating to 1140, the impressive main hall of the upper templeis one of the largest Buddhist halls in China, with Ming statues and Qing murals within. The rear hall of the lower temple is the oldest building in Dàtóng (1038), containing some remarkable Liao-dynasty wooden sculptures. Side halls contain assorted relics from the Wei, Liao and Jin…
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Jīndǐng Temple
The magnificent Jīndǐng Temple is at the Golden Summit (Jīn Dǐng; 3077m), commonly referred to as the mountain's highest peak. Covered with glazed tiles and surrounded by white marble balustrades, the renovated temple, which now occupies 1695 sq metres, is quite striking. In front of the temple, the unmissable 48m-tall golden statue Multi-dimensional Samantabhadra (十方普贤; Shífāng Pǔxián) honours mountain protector Puxian and was added in 2006.
The mountain's highest point is actually nearby Wànfó Dǐng (Ten Thousand Buddha Summit) at 3099m, but it has been closed to visitors for some years now.
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Kāiyuán Temple
Cháozhōu's most famous attraction is this active temple. Built in AD 738, the temple was recently renovated to house more arhats, including a huge 1000-arm Guanyin.
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Lónghuá Temple
Southwest of central Shànghǎi, this is the oldest and largest temple in the city; it's said to date from the 10th century. Opposite the temple stands a seven-storey pagoda, originally built in AD 977 and much restored. From the Longcao Rd metro station, head east along North Longshui Rd for about 1km.
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Qīngyīn Pavilion
Named 'Pure Sound Pavilion' after the soothing sounds of the waters coursing around rock formations, this temple is built on an outcrop in the middle of a fast-flowing stream. Rest in one of the small pavilions here while you appreciate the natural 'music'.
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Rénshòu Temple
A short walk north of Zǔ Miào Temple is this former Ming monastery, which remains an active place of worship today. Inside, you'll find a seven-storey pagoda built in 1656, as well as the Fóshān Folk Arts Studio, famous for its intricately beautiful paper cuts. Behind the temple is a good vegetarian restaurant.
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Shànhuà Temple
This temple was originally built in 713; the current temple is a Jin rebuild. The grandiose wooden-bracketed rear hall contains five beautiful central Buddhas and expressive statues of celestial generals in the wings.
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Shàolín Temple
The largely rebuilt Shàolín Temple, some 80km southwest of Zhèngzhōu, is a victim of its own success. A frequent target of war, the temple was last torched in 1928, and the surviving halls – many of recent construction – are today besieged by marauding tour groups.
Note that most, if not all, of the temple halls are very recent rebuilds, as many – such as the main Great Treasure Hall (大雄宝殿; Dàxióng Bǎodiàn; reconstructed in 1985) – were levelled by fire in 1928. Some halls only date back as far as 2004. Among the oldest structures at the temple are the decorative arches and stone lions, both outside the main gate.
Enter the temple past stelae of…
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Twin Pagoda Temple/Yǒngzuò Temple Buddhist Temple
This gorgeous pair of namesake twin pagodas rises up south of the Nansha River in Tàiyuán's southwest. Not much of the temple itself is left but the area is well tended with shrubs and greenery; with the wind in their tinkling bells, the highlight brick pagodas are lovely. The 13-storey Xuānwén Pagoda (宣文塔; Xuānwén Tǎ) dates from the reign of Ming emperor Wanli and can be climbed. The adjacent pagoda dates from the same period but cannot be climbed. Take bus 820 or 812 from the train station.
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Yòumín Temple
This huge temple was heavily damaged during the Cultural Revolution, but contains some notable statuary.
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Pǔrén Temple
Built in 1713, this is the earliest temple in Chéngdé, but is not open to the public.
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Temple of Bliss
The active Buddhist community in residence gives this temple a genuine religious atmosphere despite the ticket sales. Among the many large statues here include Milefo (Maitreya), the Buddha yet-to-come, whose arrival will bring paradise on earth.
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Guǎnghuì Temple
Nothing remains of this temple further south, except its unusual Indian-style pagoda decorated with lions, elephants, sea creatures, púsà (Bodhisattvas; those worthy of nirvana who remain on earth to help others attain enlightenment) and other figures (some missing). With a brick base and four doors, the pagoda has stone-carved upper storeys and a brickwork cap. You can climb to the top.
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Fǎyuán Temple
With its air of monastic reverence and busy monks, this bustling temple east of Cow Street Mosque was originally constructed in the 7th century. Now the China Buddhism College, the temple follows a typical Buddhist layout, but make your way to the fourth hall for its standout copper Buddha seated atop four further Buddhas, themselves atop a huge bulb of myriad effigies. Within the Guanyin Hall is a Ming-dynasty Thousand Hand and Thousand Eye Guanyin, while a huge supine Buddha reclines in the rear hall.
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Ānyuǎn Temple
A copy of the Gurza Temple in Xīnjiāng, only the main hall remains, which contains deteriorating Buddhist frescoes. Take bus 10.
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