Yongquan 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 on Gushan Mountain or Mount Gu (Drum Mountain in English), in 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 ...

. It was first built in 783 during the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

(618–907), and went through many changes and repairs through the following dynasties. Most of the present structures in the temple were repaired or built in the Jiajing period (1522–1566) in 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 ...

(1368–1644).

History

Tang dynasty

Yongquan Temple was first built in 783, in the reign of Emperor Dezong of the

(618–907), it initially called "Huayan Temple" (). Since Emperor Wuzong (814–846) believed in

Taoism Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ' ...

, he presided over the destruction of tens of thousands of temples, confiscate temple lands and force monks to return to secular life. Without exception, Yongquan Temple was completely destroyed in this

Great Anti-Buddhist Persecution The Huichang Persecution of Buddhism () was initiated by Emperor Wuzong (Li Chan) of the Tang dynasty during the Huichang era (841–845). Among its purposes was to appropriate war funds and to cleanse Tang China of foreign influences. As such, ...

Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

In 908, under the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (907–960), Wang Shenzhi (), the king of Fujian, asked the exceptional monk Shenyan () to supervise the reconstruction of Yongquan Temple. The name was changed into "Yongquan Chan Temple" () because a spring flowed through its Four Heavenly Kings Hall.

Song dynasty

In the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty ( ) was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Fiv ...

Emperor Zhenzong Emperor Zhenzong of Song (23 December 968 – 23 March 1022), personal name Zhao Heng, was the third emperor of the Song dynasty of China. He reigned from 997 to his death in 1022. His personal name was originally Zhao Dechang, but was change ...

(998–1022) inscribed a plaque of Chinese characters "Yongquan Chan Temple" to the temple.

Ming dynasty

In 1407, in the Yongle era (1402–1424) of the

(1368–1644), the temple was renamed "Yongquan Temple" ().Yongquan Temple went through two fires and several rebuilds, including the catastrophic fire in 1408 and the disastrous fire in 1542. The

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 ...

was restored in 1619 by Cao Xuequan () and master Daodong Zhidi (). The Dharma Hall was elected in 1629 by Lin Hongyan () and monk Hongxiao (). The

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 ...

and Drum tower were added to the temple by Lin Hongyan in 1633. The Four Heavenly Kings Hall was rebuilt by Cao Xuequan in the following year.

Qing dynasty

Yongquan Temple was refurbished and redecorated by Yuanxian () in the early

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), In 1699, in the 38th year of Kangxi period (1662–1722),

Kangxi Emperor The Kangxi Emperor (4 May 165420 December 1722), also known by his temple name Emperor Shengzu of Qing, personal name Xuanye, was the third emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper. His reign of 61 ...

inscribed and honored the name "Yongquan Temple".

People's Republic of China

After the founding of the Communist State, the Fujian Provincial Government afforded great protection to the temple. Yongquan Temple has been classified 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

Yongquan Temple is built along the up and down of maintains. The over 25 rooms and halls still maintain the architectural style of the Jiajing period (1522–1566) in the

(1368–1644). The complex include the following halls: Free Life Pond,

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 ...

, Drum tower, Hall of Guru, Dharma Hall, Buddhist Texts Library, Meditation Hall, Reception Hall, Dining Room, etc.

Mahavira Hall

The

was first built in 908 and rebuilt in the

(960–1279). It was burned down in the

(1368–1644) and restored in 1882 during the Guangxu period (1875–1908) of the

(1644–1911). States of Three Life Buddha are enshrined in the middle of the hall with statues of

Eighteen Arhats The Eighteen Arhats (or Eighteen Luohans) () are depicted in Chinese Buddhism as the original followers of Gautama Buddha ('' arhat'') who have followed the Noble Eightfold Path and attained the four stages of enlightenment. They have reached the ...

stand on both sides. At the back of the hall enshrining the Three Sages of the West (), namely

Guanyin Guanyin () is a common Chinese name of the bodhisattva associated with Karuṇā, compassion known as Avalokiteśvara (). Guanyin is short for Guanshiyin, which means " he One WhoPerceives the Sounds of the World". Originally regarded as m ...

, Amitabha and

Mahasthamaprapta Mahāsthāmaprāpta is a bodhisattva mahāsattva who represents the power of wisdom. His name literally means "arrival of the great strength". Mahāsthāmaprāpta is one of the Eight Great Bodhisattvas in Mahayana Buddhism, along with Mañju ...

Pottery Pagodas of Thousand Buddha

A pair of Pottery Pagoda of Thousand Buddha are placed in the temple. They were made in 1082 in the

(960–1279). The pagodas were octagonal with nine stories. It is composed of a pagoda base and a dense-eave body. The base were engraved patterns of various flying phoenixes, lotuses, Hercules, monsters, etc. Over 1,078 exquisite niches with small statues of Buddha are carved on the body of the pagoda.

National Treasures

Bronze bell

A bronze bell was cast in the 18th century during the

(1644–1911) weighting . Outside the bell carved 6,372 words of ''

Diamond Sutra The ''Diamond Sutra'' (Sanskrit: ) is a Mahayana, Mahāyāna Buddhism, Buddhist sutra from the genre of ('perfection of wisdom') sutras. Translated into a variety of languages over a broad geographic range, the ''Diamond Sūtra'' is one of th ...

''.

Avatamsaka Sutra

Over ten sets of '' Avatamsaka Sutra'' which was printed in the

(1368–1644) are preserved in the temple.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Yongquan Temple Buddhist temples in Fuzhou Buildings and structures in Fuzhou Tourist attractions in Fuzhou 1983 establishments in China 20th-century Buddhist temples Religious buildings and structures completed in 1983 Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Fujian Chan temples