Zhanshan Temple (; german: link=no, Dschanschan Tempel) is a

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

Shinan District Shinan District () is an urban district of Qingdao, Shandong. It has an area of , and had approximately 588,800 inhabitants as of 2019. Shinan is located in coastal hilled terrain, and has a temperate monsoon climate. Common features include mod ...

Qingdao Qingdao (, also spelled Tsingtao; , Mandarin: ) is a major city in eastern Shandong Province. The city's name in Chinese characters literally means " azure island". Located on China's Yellow Sea coast, it is a major nodal city of the One Belt ...

Shandong Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilizati ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. It is located on the southern side of Zhanshan (literally 'clear' or 'deep mountain'), facing the sea. The monastery was built in 1945 and is an active, functional Buddhist sanctuary. Apart from the Stupa and the Olympic Mascot Bell Tower, located on the right-hand side of the grounds, the remaining buildings are situated in a rectangular format. To the right of the entry portal is one of the several Buddhist scripture shops. Here, incense sticks and other Buddhist supplies are available for purchase. Adjacent the scripture shop is a

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 tower ...

with the first of many statues of Buddha. At the right of the entry is the Drum tower with another Buddha. Returning to the central path, directly ahead is the

Four Heavenly Kings Hall The Hall of Four Heavenly Kings or Four Heavenly Kings Hall (), referred to as Hall of 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 enshr ...

. The large Buddha, which is the focal point of this shrine, is flanked by four large statues, one depicting a pipa player. Directly behind Heavenly King Hall is the larger

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

, which honors the founder of Buddhism, the son of a king of the Sakya clan of the Kshatriya (i.e., warriors). His given name was Siddhartha, his family name, Gautama. The epithet “Sakyamuni” means “sage of the Sakyas.” In this magnificent hall, a large, central Buddha is flanked by two smaller statues, each attended by eight priests. This hall is an active place of prayer equipped with cushions for kneeling, candles for lighting incense, and other Buddhist prayer supplies. Behind the Hall of Sakyamuni is the Hall of Three Saints (). In the center of the hall are three large, gilded statues, each about twelve feet in height. Continuing along the central path, the next building is the Preaching Hall (). To the left of Preaching Hall is the Hall of the Recumbent Buddha (), where, behind a long, gilded altar, a gilded, bejeweled statue of Buddha stretches out almost twenty feet in length. Opposite the Hall of the Recumbent Buddha is the Shandong Zhanshan Buddhist College (). To the right of the Hall of the Recumbent Buddha is the headquarters of the Qingdao Buddhist Association (). Exiting the monastery grounds, one passes the Olympic Mascot Bell (). The view from the top of this bell tower is panoramic; however, there is an additional fee of 10 元 to see that view. The 8 April of the lunar calendar is traditionally observed as the birthday of the Buddha. On that day, thousands of Buddhists flock to the monastery grounds to attend religious events. In 2004 a major renovation was initiated. As of June 2009, the renovation remains in progress.

See also