Xiyuan Temple () or Xiyuan Jiechuanglü 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 ...

in Wuzhong District,

Suzhou Suzhou is a major prefecture-level city in southern Jiangsu province, China. As part of the Yangtze Delta megalopolis, it is a major economic center and focal point of trade and commerce. Founded in 514 BC, Suzhou rapidly grew in size by the ...

Jiangsu Jiangsu is a coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province in East China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its capital in Nanjing. Jiangsu is the List of Chinese administra ...

, China. It is located just to the west of

Lingering Garden Lingering Garden (; Suzhou dialect, Suzhou Wu: Leu yoe, ) is a renowned classical Chinese garden, dating back to 1593. It is located at 338 Liuyuan Rd. Suzhou, Jiangsu province, China (留园路338号). The garden is divided into 4 themed sectio ...

History

The temple was founded in the

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty ( ; zh, c=元朝, p=Yuáncháo), officially the Great Yuan (; Mongolian language, Mongolian: , , literally 'Great Yuan State'), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after Div ...

, was destroyed and then became part of a large classical garden, Xiyuan or West Garden (). The garden belonged to a Senior Government Official during the

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 ...

. When he died, his son donated the garden to the monastery. Most of the buildings were destroyed during the

Taiping Rebellion The Taiping Rebellion, also known as the Taiping Civil War or the Taiping Revolution, was a civil war in China between the Qing dynasty and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. The conflict lasted 14 years, from its outbreak in 1850 until the fall of ...

in 1860. It was rebuilt after the war. The temple is known for its statues, Arhat Hall and Free Life Pond, where 2 famous long-life Asian Giant Softshell Turtles lived. One turtle died in 2007 at the age of 400, and the other has disappeared. File:Asian Giant Softshell Turtle.jpg, Asian Giant Soft shell Turtle Statue File:Free Life Pond.jpg, Free Life Pond File:Chinese Guardian Lion.jpg, Guardian Lion Statue

References

*LI Shang-quan. Suzhou Western Garden Buddhist Culture Research Journal of Nanjing Xiaozhuang University. No.1 Jan. 2007.

External links

Jiechuang Buddhist Educational Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Xiyuan Temple Buddhist temples in Suzhou