Nanzen-ji Temple

Nanzen-ji Temple

Nanchan temple, located in the center of Liangxi District, Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, is a unique ancient temple building in the south corner of Wuxi and on the Bank of the ancient Yunhe river. It is one of the 480 temples in the Southern Dynasty 1450 years ago. The temple was first built in the Taiqing period of emperor Liang Wu. It has a large scale and is incomparable in the Southern Dynasties. It is known as "the most beautiful jungle in the south of the Yangtze River". Miaoguang tower, 43.3 meters high, is located in the east of the temple. It was first built in the Yongxi period of the Northern Song Dynasty, more than 1000 years ago.

The ancient pagoda of Nanchan temple is of seven levels and eight sides attic style, with copper bell hanging at the eaves. It has the reputation of "it is said that the golden bell will ring for ten miles, and the jade dragon will fly down for half a day". It is one of the famous eight sceneries in Wuxi. After the reform and opening up, it has built a comprehensive cultural market of more than 120000 square meters - Nanchan Temple Cultural mall. The northern part of the mall is the Ming and Qing style buildings, and the southern part is the Song Dynasty style ancient buildings.

Nanchan temple, miaoguang street in the mall, has been named Wuxi tourism street by Wuxi Municipal government and is a national AAAA tourist attraction.

Historical evolution

Xiao Yan, the emperor of Liang Dynasty in the Southern Dynasty, worshipped Buddhism and prospered temples all over the country. Many temples were built in Wuxi at that time, including a large-scale Huguo temple. Among the ten temples in Liangxi, Huguo temple is the second. In the Xianheng reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang Dynasty (670-674), it was renamed Lingshan temple. Emperor Renzong of Northern Song Dynasty gave it the name of "Fusheng Temple", but the common people called it Nanchan Temple because of its location in the south gate.

According to the county annals, Nanchan temple was built in 547 A.D., one of the 480 temples in the Southern Dynasty. used

It is called "liangxifeng dacha, the first Huishan, the second Southern Zen". It has a long history, a large scale and a large number of eminent monks. Later generations also call it "the most beautiful jungle in Jiangnan".

Reconstruction period

During the Tiansheng period of the Northern Song Dynasty, it was rebuilt, and song Renzong gave it the name of "Fusheng Chan yuan". "Eight years later, song Renzong gave the name of" Shousheng Temple "to the North Temple corresponding to the South Temple. The same emperor bestowed the two temples in Xicheng with the names of "blessing saint" and "longevity saint", which is a great honor for Wuxi Buddhist circles. In particular, Nanchan temple has been blessed with a new look after generations of restoration.

It can be seen that the king's hall was resplendent and full of incense; the miaoguang tower, with its spire towering in the sky, was extraordinary; the five commandments hall, with its solemnity, purified people's hearts; the release pool, with its water green and clear. In the hall of Mahatma, the Tathagata is majestic in shape, serene and solemn in appearance, kind-hearted in eyebrows and eyes, with a smile on his face. His mouth wants to speak and stop, and his appearance is like the performance method. All Buddhas and Arhats are kind-hearted, full-bodied and handsome, with attentive eyes, fluent patterns, and skillful craftsmen.

Tourism information

Subway: get off at the "nanchansi" station of Wuxi Metro Line 1, exit 8, and walk 60 meters east along Xiangyang Road.

Bus: 1. Get off at the "Chaoyang Square (Jiefang South Road)" station of No.1 express line, No.3 down line, No.3 interval down line, No.51 and No.61, walk 110 meters northeast along Jiefang South Road to Xiangyang Road, and then walk 80 meters east.

two No. 12, No. 12 branch, No. 15, No. 19, No. 23, No. 24, No. 25, No. 27, No. 32, No. 42, No. 51, No. 53, No. 55, No. 57, No. 61, No. 62, No. 85, No. 92, No. 105, No. 312, No. 358, No. 501, No. 502, No. 508, No. 723, No. 765, No. 767, No. 788-1, No. 788-2 "South Chan Temple (Chaoyang Square)" stop, walk 140 meters south along Jiefang South Road to Xiangyang Road, and then east Walk 80 meters.

3. Take No.15, No.24, No.27, No.57, No.105, no.358, no.502, NO.703, no.765, no.767, no.788-1, no.788-2 "kuatangqiao (nanchangjie)" stop, walk along nanchangjie to the Northwest for 220 meters to Baota bridge, cross the bridge to the other bank of the river, walk along shuilongtang to the Northwest for 150 meters to Xiangyang Road, and then walk to the East for 40 meters.

4. Get off at Chaoyang Square (South Chan Temple) station on No.3, No.3 section, No.40, NO.67, No.79, No.81, No.118, No.135, NO.201, NO.703 and no.765, walk southward along Zhongshan Road and get to the traffic lights, and Chaoyang Square (South Chan Temple) on No.12 branch line, No.25 and no.508 is the starting station.

Free policy: in February 2020, in order to express our gratitude to the medical staff, we will implement the free admission policy for medical workers and their spouses and children from the day when the scenic spot resumes to December 31, 2020.

Layout structure

The structure of the main building of Wuxi Nanchan temple has the remarkable characteristics of the Buddhist temples in Jiangnan area in Ming and Qing Dynasties. The height of the beam frame of the temple building is simplified. The beam and column are directly connected by mortise and tenon, and do not rely on the paving layer. The height of the bucket arch on the column accounts for a small proportion of the total elevation, but the number of accumulation is dense. The eaves are short, the cornice arc is beautiful, beautiful and smart. The steep lifting and folding of the roof and the rich details of tile work are obvious architectural styles of Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Related allusions

Nanchan temple has an ancient pagoda with seven levels and eight sides, 43.3 meters high. It is said that the tower was erected at the intersection of yangyao Bay and the canal in order to cure the flood. According to the records of the South Chan temple, in the Yongxi period of the Northern Song Dynasty (984-988), a monk came into the temple with a bowl and disappeared. Later, he found his shadow on the wall of the temple. People believed that he was a Buddha, built a pagoda, and received three Buddha statues in Sizhou, Northern Jiangsu.

Zhang Si'an, a scholar from Wuxi in the Ming Dynasty, said in the stele of Nanchan temple's rebuilt Tower: "there is a stream in the west of the courtyard, which is called" Liangxi ", and its vein connects with the second spring of Huishan. According to the legend, there used to be a giant dragon winding through it. Every day, it was dark and rainy, and the residents were shocked and the merchants were worried. In yongxizhong, a strange monk stationed in Xiyu said to the public, "if the dragon is in the ear, it is appropriate to build a pagoda to control it, then the dragon will dive and the people will be safe."

These legends made the temple famous. In the third year of Chongning in the Northern Song Dynasty (1104), Zhao Ji of Huizong gave the tower the name of "miaoguang tower". Miaoguang pagoda experienced many calamities in yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. The existing buildings were built in the orthodox period of Ming Dynasty. In 1925, Rong Zongjing, Rong Desheng and Tang Shenbo contributed to the restoration. In 1930, there was an Art Institute for vagrants here. In 1980, the people's government allocated a special fund for the comprehensive renovation. In 1983, it was listed as a municipal cultural relics protection unit. In 1993, miaoguang tower was renovated and reopened.

Miaoguang tower is a pavilion style brick tower with seven stories and a total height of 43.3 meters. It is one of the "eight sceneries of Wuxi". The shadow of the black tower on the bright sun can fall under a bridge several miles away, so it is called "tower shadow bridge". There are also many anecdotes in history. The most amazing thing is that it is said that it has sent out brilliant lights of various colors, which have been proved scientifically. This is caused by lightning. Since 1980s, the shopping mall has been built up, and the scale of the South Chan temple has been expanded. The commercial housing has been built 95 thousand square meters, and the planning and construction of 120 thousand square meters, like the "Town God's Temple" of Wuxi, has become a good place for people to play and shop.

Among them, miaoguang street is designated as a tourist street by Wuxi City.

Related events

On December 5, 2016, the National Tourism Administration held a press conference and was seriously warned in the list of 4A scenic spots.

Address: Nanchen Temple Scenic Area

Longitude: 112.161375

Latitude: 29.651773

Chinese PinYin : Nan Chan Si