Linyang Temple () is a

Buddhist temple A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhism, Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat, khurul and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in B ...

located in the Jin'an District of

Fuzhou Fuzhou is the capital of Fujian, China. The city lies between the Min River (Fujian), Min River estuary to the south and the city of Ningde to the north. Together, Fuzhou and Ningde make up the Eastern Min, Mindong linguistic and cultural regi ...

Fujian Fujian is a provinces of China, province in East China, southeastern China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefe ...

History

Tang dynasty

According to ''Three Mountains Annals'' (), the temple was first built in 931 with the name of Linyang-yuan (), in the reign of Emperor Mingzong (926–933) of the

Later Tang Tang, known in historiography as the Later Tang, was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China and the second of the Five Dynasties during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period in Chinese history. The first three of the Later Tang's four ...

(923–937). But the ''Mindu-ji'' () says that the temple was originally built in 936, in the ruling of

Shi Jingtang Shi Jingtang ( zh, 石敬瑭; 30 March 892 – 28 July 942''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 283.), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Gaozu of Later Jin (), was the founding emperor of the Later Jin dynasty of China during the Five Dynas ...

(936–942) in the

Later Jin (Five Dynasties) Jin, known as the Later Jìn ( zh, s=后晋, t=後晉, hp=Hòu Jìn, 936–947) or the Shi Jin (石晉) in historiography, was an imperial dynasty of China and the third of the Five Dynasties during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms per ...

(936–947).

Ming dynasty

Linyang Temple was restored and renovated in 1612, in the 40th year of Wanli period (1573–1620) in the late

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

(1368–1644).

Qing dynasty

During the Guangxu era (1875–1908) of the late

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

(1644–1911), master Guyue () raised funds to restore and redecorate the temple.

Republic of China

In 1930,

Yuan Ying Yuanying (; 1878 – 12 September 1953) was a Chinese Chan Buddhist master and the first Venerable Master of the Buddhist Association of China. Biography Yuanying was born Wu Changfa () and Wu Hengchun () into a family of farming background in Pi ...

was proposed as the new abbot of Linyang Temple.

People's Republic of China

After the 3rd plenary session of the 11th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, according to the national policy of free religious belief, Linyang Temple was officially reopened to the public in 1981. The temple has been designated as a National Key Buddhist Temple in Han Chinese Area by the

State Council of China The State Council of the People's Republic of China, also known as the Central People's Government, is the chief administrative authority and national cabinet. It is constitutionally the highest administrative organ of the country and the e ...

in 1983.

Architecture

The complex include the following halls:

Shanmen The Gate of Shanmen or Hall of the Shanmen or simply Shanmen (), is the entrance gate of a Buddhist temple. In ancient times, nearly all Buddhist temples had a single Shanmen gate leading into a large hall for the temple. Today, it is observed t ...

Mahavira Hall A Mahavira Hall, usually simply known as a Main Hall, is the main hall or building in a traditional Chinese culture, Chinese Buddhist temple, enshrining representations of Gautama Buddha and various other buddhas and bodhisattvas. It is encoun ...

Hall of Four Heavenly Kings The ''Tianwang Dian'' (; lit: ”Hall of the Heavenly Kings”) is the first important hall inside a shanmen (mount gate) in Chinese Buddhist temples and is named due to the Four Heavenly Kings statues enshrined in the hall. Maitreya Buddha i ...

, Hall of Great Compassion,

Hall of Ksitigarbha In architecture, a hall is a relatively large space enclosed by a roof and walls. In the Iron Age and the Early Middle Ages in northern Europe, a mead hall was where a lord and his retainers ate and also slept. Later in the Middle Ages, the gre ...

Bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell to ...

, Drum tower,

Hall of Guru The ''Zushi Dian'' () (lit: “Hall of Guru”), also known as a Founder's Hall, is the most important annex halls in Chinese Buddhist temples for enshrining masters of various Buddhism schools. It is encountered throughout East Asia, including ...

, Dharma Hall, Dining Room, etc.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Linyang Temple Buddhist temples in Fuzhou Buildings and structures in Fuzhou Tourist attractions in Fuzhou 17th-century establishments in China 17th-century Buddhist temples Religious buildings and structures completed in 1612