Chongyuan Temple

Chongyuan Temple

Chongyuan temple, originally known as Chongxuan temple, was built in the second year of Tianjian (A.D. 503) of Emperor Wu of Liang Dynasty. It was contemporaneous with Hanshan Temple, Lingyan temple and Baosheng temple. In the Qing Dynasty, the name of Chongyuan temple was changed from "Xuan" to "Yuan" to avoid the taboo of Emperor Kangxi Xuanye. The temple was completely destroyed during the cultural revolution. In November 2003, the people's Government of Jiangsu Province approved the restoration and reconstruction of Chongyuan temple. The abbot of Hanshan Temple, monk Qiu Shuang, was also the abbot.

In October 2019, Chongyuan Temple of Suzhou voluntarily withdrew from the 4A scenic spot. After the review and inspection of Jiangsu Provincial Department of culture and tourism, it has made a decision to approve its withdrawal.

Brief introduction to temples

geographical position

The rebuilt Chongyuan temple is located at 333 Yangcheng Ring Road, Wuzhong District, Suzhou city.

historical origin

Chongyuan temple was built in the second year of Tianjian, Emperor Wu of Liang Dynasty (A.D. 503), which was contemporaneous with Hanshan Temple, Lingyan temple and Baosheng temple. Xiao Yan, Emperor Wu of Liang Dynasty, ruled the country by Buddhism. At the same time, the country worships Buddhism.

One evening, Lu Seng Zan, an official living at Erli in the northwest of Changzhou county government, saw that the auspicious clouds overlapped over the official residence. He immediately asked emperor Liang Wu to give up his official residence and rebuild a temple in place, and named the temple "chongyun".

According to the records, Emperor Wu of Liang readily agreed and gave a plaque to express his praise. The plaque was entitled "Chongxuan temple in Guangde of Daliang.". The mistake of "chongyun" as "Chongxuan" is a mistake in the process of copying and delivering memorials.

Chongyuan Temple flourished until the middle Tang Dynasty. More than 270 years later, Wei Yingwu, a great poet of the Tang Dynasty who was then a thorn envoy in Suzhou, wrote in his poem "dengchongyuan Temple Pavilion" that Chongyuan temple should be built in time and clear in the morning. At first I saw that Wu County was big and gloomy. The mountains and rivers are beautiful, and the lake and the sea swallow the wasteland. He Da Zhen land and water, proud Tian will be everywhere. The customs are complicated, the festivals are noisy, the rain is smooth and the things are healthy.

Birds and fish swim, and plants are fragrant. In this province, there is a custom of "persuading to cultivate mulberry". Tang Dynasty poets Li Jiayou, PI Rixiu and Lu guimeng also wrote poems about Chongyuan temple. In 842 ad, in the second year of Huichang of Wuzong in the late Tang Dynasty, the biggest "extermination of Buddhism" movement in Chinese history suddenly broke out. The court persecuted and killed the monks cruelly.

A large number of temples in Suzhou City were destroyed. Monks moved out of the city one after another, and some built new temples elsewhere. There is a new Chongyuan temple in Weiting Town, thirty miles away from Suzhou city. Jing'an Temple in Shanghai, formerly known as Chongyuan temple, was built in the third year of Huichang in Tang Dynasty. It is likely to be the product of the same period and background as Weiting Chongyuan temple. During the qianmiao period (908-932 AD), the Chongyuan temple was repaired on a large scale. The rebuilt Chongyuan temple is still a "giant Temple", with grand scale and magnificent pavilions. In front of the temple, there are two earth mountains, two different stones standing in front of the court, a bronze statue of wuliangshou Buddha standing in the center, and 16 Arhats standing on both sides. There are five other hospitals.

Chongyuan temple also has a Shenggu temple. The so-called Shenggu is the daughter of Lu Seng Zan who built the temple in the house of emperor Liang Wu. The local people worship the holy aunt for their son. Chongyuan temple was renamed Chengtian temple in Song Dynasty. During the reign of Xuanhe in Song Dynasty (1119-1125 AD), it was renamed "Nengren Temple" because the imperial court prohibited the temple bridges from being named after "heaven, saint, emperor and King".

In dazhongyuan (1008 A.D.), a man named nanshizhen bought a piece of land after consulting with the people in the clan, and erected a stone building in the abandoned Chongyuan temple. Written in the reign of Daoguang in the Qing Dynasty (around 1848 AD), the records of Yuanhe Weiting said: "the ruins of Chongyuan temple are all annihilated, and the stone buildings in front of the temple are just like those built in the Tang Dynasty." The stone building is a memorial symbol of the temple. Han Chong and other Qing Dynasty poets have written poems about the stone building because of the vicissitudes of history.

From Yuan Dynasty to shun Dynasty (1330-1333 AD), Chongyuan temple was destroyed by fire. During the reign of Yuan Zhizheng (1341-1368 A.D.), it was rebuilt by the Chu monk in Yuenan and restored again.

In Yuan Dynasty, the two names of Chongyuan temple in Song Dynasty were combined into one, which was called "chengtiannengren Temple". Some people call it "shuange Temple". This is probably because there are two earth mountains in front of the temple, or because there are two different stones in the temple.

At that time, in addition to the bronze statue of wuliangshou Buddha, there were pangou great saint temple, Lingyou temple and Wanfo Pavilion. During the cultural revolution, Chongyuan temple was destroyed and the stone buildings were smashed. Weitingling South primary school is built on the base of the temple.

On October 25, 2019, the staff of Chongyuan temple said that it was based on the future development plan of Chongyuan temple that they made the decision to withdraw from the 4A scenic spot. A staff member from the Resource Development Department of Suzhou culture, radio, television and Tourism Bureau confirmed that the Jiangsu Provincial Department of culture and tourism had made a decision to approve its withdrawal.

Main attractions

The architecture of the temple includes Mountain Gate, Tianwang hall, bell and Drum Tower, Daxiong hall, etc. With a construction area of 2100 square meters, the main hall is the largest single building in China. Guanyin island in front of the temple houses the largest 33 meter high statue of Guanyin in China.

Restoration and reconstruction

In order to carry forward the traditional Buddhist culture and meet the religious needs of Buddhist believers, the reconstruction was approved by the people's Government of Jiangsu Province in November 2003. The reconstruction of Chongyuan Temple adheres to the five principles of inheriting the Buddhist tradition, namely, the basis of classics, the inheritance of history, the characteristics of convenience, the creativity of art and the induction of function.

Shuizhi Guanyin temple, Chongyuan Buddhist temple and pharmacist tower echo each other, and cooperate with Buddhist cultural scenic spots to build a Buddhist cultural area with the purpose of caring for life and living and protecting Dharma, which shows the unique features of Guanyin Taoist temple and the solemnity of Ten Thousand Buddhas.

Xinchongyuan temple, built in 2007, covers an area of more than 300 mu and is located in the beautiful Yangcheng Lake peninsula. The water Guanyin Pavilion and the main temple area echo each other, showing the characteristics of the largest Guanyin Taoist temple in Jiangdong.

The statue of great mercy Guanyin in Guanyin Pavilion is 33 meters high. It is made of 88 tons of bronze. The surface of the statue is covered with gold. The Dharma is very solemn, and it is the highest in China. There is the largest Mahatma hall in China. The first Sanskrit bell of the Tang Dynasty is suspended in the bell tower, and the largest copper cavity leather drum in China is placed in the drum tower. There are many Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and Vajra in the temple, which are the three treasures of Buddhism and Buddhism.

Puji bridge, Lianhua Island, Guanyin Pavilion and liuguanyin Temple constitute the pure land world, which is solemn and complete. Buddhist activities should be prepared in time. It is an ideal place for believers to make vows, repent and pray.

In the Guanyin Pavilion, there are 9999 small Guanyin that can be provided for. The dizang hall and nihongcangdian hall offer memorial tablets for the dead and the extended life for many years, and regularly hold Buddhist and Dharma meetings. Every year, the "global Chinese reunion" in the Mid Autumn Festival and the "head worship" in the Spring Festival are both large-scale activities that Chongyuan Temple strives to build, such as Li Ru FA, which are deeply praised by the majority of tourists and believers.

The restoration and reconstruction of Chongyuan Temple fills the gap that there is no temple in the east of the ancient city of Suzhou. After completion, Chongyuan temple will become a beautiful landscape in Suzhou Industrial Park.

The best in the country

Chongyuan temple is one of the top ten temples in China

1、 The highest above water Kwan Yin Pavilion in China - 46m

2、 The highest indoor Kwan Yin statue in China – 33m

3、 The heaviest indoor Avalokitesvara in China – 88T of bronze

4、 Brahma's voice bell giving 1st Sound and rhythm in Tang Dynasty – 2.19M in height

5、 The heaviest bronze bell in China – 10t

6、 The largest leather drum with a copper kettle – a diameter of 2.19M

7、 The most vivid and perfect island Kwan Yin statues cluster in China

8、 The highest Mahavira palace in China – 38m

9、 The biggest hall in China

Chinese PinYin : Zhong Yuan Si