Nanshan Temple (Zhangzhou)

Nanshan Temple (Chinese: 南山寺; pinyin: Nánshān Sì; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Lâm-soaⁿ-sī) is a Buddhist temple located in the foothills of Mount Danxia (丹霞山) to the south of Zhangzhou City, Fujian Province, People's Republic of China. It is one of the most important Chinese Buddhism temples on the Chinese mainland.

History

Originally known as the Baoqu Institute (报劬院), the temple was built during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang during his Kaiyuan era (开元) and completed in 736 CE.^[1][2] In 968 CE during the reign of Emperor Taizu of Song it was repaired by the provincial governor Chen Wen (陈文) and renamed Chongfu Temple (崇福寺). Later on during the Ming Dynasty, its name changed once more to the current "Nanshan Temple".^[1]

Description

Nanshan Temple is built in the typical style with the central axis divided into the Hall of the Four Heavenly Kings (天王殿), the Mahavira Hall (大雄宝殿) and a the Monasterial Library for the storage of sacred Buddhist scriptures. Within this library there is a large stone Buddha as well as a white jade one that was brought from Myanmar during the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911), a large clock and a Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) Avatamsaka Sutra. Together with a sutra written on palm leaves by the Qing Guangxu Emperor, these items are known as the "Five Treasures of Nanshan" (南山寺五宝).^[3]

Hall of the Four Heavenly Kings  Mahavira Hall

See also

• Guanghua Temple

References

1. "The Baoqu Institute - Zhangzhou's Nanshan Temple ("报劬院"——漳州南山寺)" (in Chinese). May 26, 2009. Retrieved February 28, 2011.
2. (In Chinese) Longxi County County Annals - Places of Historic Interest (龙溪县志 · 古迹).
3. "Zhangzhou's Nanshan Temple" (in Chinese). January 10, 2002. Retrieved February 28, 2011.