Meishan Temple

Meishan Temple

Meishan temple is located in huangbian village, northeast of Shiqiao Town and southeast of Yingbin Road overpass in Panyu. Founded in the first year of Zhengde in the Ming Dynasty, it was built by Su Sheng, a descendant of Su Dongpo, so it was named after the Meishan temple. Meishan temple is one of the holy places of Buddhism in Panyu. There are statues of Avalokitesvara and bronze statues of the eighteen Arhats in the temple, which attract many tourists from home and abroad to worship here every year. There is also a hall for hundreds of people to eat at the same time in the temple. In the northwest corner of the hall, there is an old banyan tree commemorating Su Dongpo. The old banyan tree is luxuriant and leafy, and its twigs are packed with roots. The bodhi tree in the temple has a history of more than one hundred years and is deeply rooted. It is known as the "Buddha tree". It is the treasure of the temple. Since its completion, Meishan temple has been devastated and has a pale face. It was rebuilt in May 1995 and has a new look. It has become a well-known holy land of religious belief.

Brief introduction to temples

Meishan temple is the holy land of Buddhism in Panyu. However, since the beginning of its construction, it has experienced many vicissitudes and disasters. It was not until the early 1990s that the great hall was renovated with the enthusiastic donation of benevolent people from all walks of life and compatriots from Hong Kong and Macao. There is an old banyan tree in memory of Su Dongpo in the temple, with luxuriant branches and curly branches.

Temple History

Meishan temple, also known as "Meishan Holy Land", was built in 1506, the first year of Zhengde in Ming Dynasty. It has a history of more than 400 years. It was built by Su Jinzhai, a descendant of Su Dongpo, a great literary giant, and a tutor of Longyan Academy in Zhangzhou, Fujian Province. To commemorate his ancestors, Su Jinzhai named "Meishan Temple" after Su Dongpo's native place "Meishan".

Since its completion, Meishan temple has suffered a lot of calamities, and its face is pale. The temple was rebuilt four times in the 60th year of Kangxi (1721), the 30th year of Qianlong (1765), the 16th year of Jiaqing (1811) and the 24th year of the Republic of China (1935) (the inner wall of the temple is decorated with steles). In 1991, overseas Chinese, compatriots from Hong Kong and Macao, and people from all walks of life donated hundreds of thousands of yuan to restore the original appearance, making it a well-known holy land of religious belief.

Temple Landscape

There is a couplet engraved outside the temple: "do your best to hide the good wind in the temple, and the secluded scenery will fall to the world forever.". When you enter the ancient temple, you find that Meishan temple is not like Liurong temple in Guangzhou, where there are many ancient trees everywhere. Beside an ancient well on the left side of the temple stands a bodhi tree, which is more than 100 years old. It is one of the "ten famous ancient trees in Panyu" and the only bodhi tree in Panyu. The bodhi tree has a history of hundreds of years, witnessing the rise and fall of Meishan temple.

This bodhi tree, more than 1 meter in diameter and 4.5 meters in circumference, has been more than 100 years old. The bodhi tree is deeply rooted, its branches are straight, and it points to the sky in four strands. Its branches are green and full of vitality. It is one of the ten ancient scenic spots of Meishan temple. It is called "Buddha land Bodhi" and is the treasure of the temple.

There is a legend in the temple: the trunk of bodhi tree is majestic, the branches and leaves are luxuriant, and it is evergreen all the year round. Every day when the Buddha comes to Nirvana, the leaves fall and then sprout again. The delicate veins of the tree are as flexible and lovely as gossamer. Many visitors like to put one or two of them on their desk or write poems or paintings, which is of great commemorative value.

An old banyan tree is planted in the northwest corner of Meishan Temple Zhaitang to commemorate Su Dongpo. The old banyan tree is magnificent with luxuriant branches and roots. One of the old banyan trees, a hundred year old banyan tree with roots, stretches from left to right, forming a contrast with the bodhi tree.

Address: huangbian village, Shiqiao street, Panyu District, Guangzhou

Longitude: 113.371125

Latitude: 22.95007

Ticket information: free.

Chinese PinYin : Mei Shan Si