Xiaojiuhua Temple

Xiaojiuhua Temple

Xiaojiuhua temple is located on the Bank of Yingluo lake with beautiful scenery. It is surrounded by water and only connected by a tall and straight ande bridge. In the past, there was a beautiful sunset rainbow bridge opposite the little Jiuhua temple. Red walls and blue waves, morning drums and evening bells, and the sound of oars and Sanskrit are all around the ears. It is a treasure land of Buddhism. Xiaojiuhua Temple faces Yinghu, a famous lake in Hangjia area, which is as famous as South Lake in Jiaxing and West Lake in Hangzhou. Many scholars, such as Bai Juyi, Li Bai, Yang Wanli and Lu guimeng, have been attracted to write poems and paintings. "Xiaohong Piper sings" is a famous sentence left in this area. Water Margin, Xingshi Hengyan and other famous works have records of this lake. Now the little Jiuhua temple has been rebuilt and the main hall has been opened.

Historical evolution

Small Jiuhua temple, also known as Jiuhua temple, formerly known as Dongyue Temple.

Xiaojiuhua temple was built in 1616, the 44th year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty. Wu Guozhong and his monk Tongyun raised the rear hall to worship the leader of Youming sect (the Bodhisattva of dizang king, so it is commonly known as dizang Hall), and cast the furnace in the court. In the 43rd year of Kangxi (1701), Chang Yunkai, the loyal son of the state, and Lang Han, the monk, raised money to build the hall of the great scholar. In the fourth year of Qianlong (1739), the Guandi hall and Liugong temple were built. In the fifth year of Qianlong (1740), monk Yunshan built the gate, guest hall, Zhaitang, kitchen and so on. It was destroyed in the tenth year of Qianlong. In 1878, Youfang monk Yongyuan and Liantang rebuilt five mountain gates, and in 1882, lianjuelian monk Chang Jiandong guest hall built three. Guangxu nine years (1883) built three West guest. Guangxu ten years (1884) built east wall, built Abbot room three, Guangxu eleven years (1885) built Guanyin hall five. The small Jiuhua temple in Pingwang has a fair scale in the historical materials. The incense in the temple is very popular. From July 1 to October 1 of the lunar calendar, pilgrims from far and near gather and tourists flock to the temple. The incense market is very prosperous. It has a great social influence and has a certain sensational effect in the surrounding areas. It is well-known in China and spread to Southeast Asia. There are many literati and poets, leaving behind many quatrains and calligraphy and painting treasures.

It is recorded in pingwangzhi in Daoguang period of Qing Dynasty that it was built in 1616 to commemorate the Bodhisattva of Tibet. At that time, it was a famous temple in the south of the Yangtze River, with a large scale, including the hall of the grand master, the hall of the pharmacist, the temple of Liu Gong, the mountain gate, guest rooms, Zhaitang, and the kitchen.

With long history and great changes, famous temples and ancient temples have experienced historical changes. In 1949, it was changed into Pingwang grain management office. In 1970, it was rebuilt into a flour mill. The original temple building was used for other purposes. Fortunately, there are still a osmanthus tree, a boxwood tree and an ancient well on the site. As material evidence, they leave historical memories.

Related Legends

It is said that the small Jiuhua temple was built to commemorate the birthday of Bodhisattva dizang. According to legend, July 30 of the lunar calendar is the birthday of the king of Tibet. People in the villages and towns are devoutly worshiping in front of and behind their houses, at the intersection of the streets and in the courtyard. As the saying goes, "put incense on the ground on July 30." On this day, the small Jiuhua temple was full of incense, and there was an endless stream of people burning incense in the surrounding areas. According to the old people, the boats burning incense on July 30 filled the Hebu in Pingwang town. The business in the town was very prosperous that day. Many shop owners had been waiting for this day. The custom of planting incense on the ground on July 30 has been handed down to this day. The king of Tibetans is said to be a Korean, named Jin qiaojue, a prince of South Korea. He believed in Buddhism all his life. He was also a very filial disciple in Buddhism. He was dedicated to his practice and vowed to become a Buddha. He made great contributions all his life. When he was 99 years old, he was completely dead and his body was not bad. Now he is in the big Jiuhua Mountain. The king of Tibet often went out to teach scriptures. On the way to practice, he built a small Jiuhua temple. In Anhui and Zhejiang, there are small Jiuhua temples. Pingwang small Jiuhua temple is one of them. After Jin qiaojue passed away, he was granted the title of Bodhisattva of Tibet. His Buddhist spirit is not only to persuade people to be good, but also to constantly improve themselves and pursue perfection. This kind of spiritual realm is also worth advocating for our future generations.

Temple reconstruction

In order to inherit and carry forward Master Taixu's positive thoughts and Bodhisattva spirit, implement religious policies and put religious activities on the right track. In 1997, with the approval of Wujiang Municipal People's government, it was agreed to restore Pingwang xiaojiuhua temple. This move was highly praised by the Chinese Buddhist community. After hearing the news, Mr. Zhao Xiangchu, President of the Chinese Buddhist Association, happily inscribed the plaque "little Jiuhua Temple". The temple covers an area of 40 mu and faces north and south. The buildings completed in the first phase of the project include: Mountain Gate (Tianwang Hall), bell tower, Drum Tower, Daxiong hall, Guanyin hall, dizang hall, Sansheng hall, thousand Buddha pagoda, etc.; the second phase of the project is under planning, including Tibetan Scripture building, dizang Pavilion, Buddha chanting hall, Gongde hall, etc., as well as "Taixu master Memorial Hall", etc. After the completion of xiaojiuhua temple, it will become one of the famous temples in Suzhou and a Buddhist resort at the intersection of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai.

Architectural features

The main hall is majestic and magnificent, with its cornices up and its walls covered with white tiles. Zhao Puchu's title of "the Great Hall of heroes" is glittering with gold and hanging above the main entrance. The inscription is perfect and is actually written by everyone. In the center of the hall, there is a statue of Sakyamuni, and next to it are the statues of kasyah and Ananda. On the left and right of the statue are Amitabha Buddha and pharmacist Buddha. They are magnificent and exquisite. The three Buddha statues have plump faces, gentle and generous expressions, kind faces and good eyes, and are quiet and dignified. The sandalwood Buddha body is decorated with gold and heavy colors, and the Buddha light shines down. On both sides of the main hall are the 18 Arhats with different shapes and lifelike features, which are clumsy, ingenious and dignified. Behind the Buddha statue of Sakyamuni, there are some Buddha statues such as Guanyin, Manjusri and Puxian Bodhisattva. To the east of the main hall is the hall of the three saints, and the Western statues of the three saints are covered with gold and lacquer. On the east side of the main hall is Guanyin hall, with double eaves, two floors and five rooms above and below. There are three main halls on the lower floor, in which there is a wooden statue of the Bodhisattva of the holy Avalokitesvara. Corresponding to the Guanyin hall is the dizang hall, which is a double eaves building with two floors above and below. The main hall in the middle of the lower floor has a statue of dizang Bodhisattva, with a Pilu crown on the head, a cassock on the body, sitting in a knot, holding beads in both hands, and a solemn statue of Dharma. The bell and drum buildings are located on both sides of the back of the heavenly king hall.

Small Jiuhua temple, it is said that the Bodhisattva is the king of Tibet, constantly showing the holy trace here, the well springs, frequently effective. The "dizang spring well" behind the main hall is a treasure in the temple. The wellhead is hexagonal with a depth of more than 10 meters. During the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, the small Jiuhua temple was expanded on a large scale and the dizang pavilion was built. The Bodhisattva of the king of Tibetans shows his spirit in the air, pestles the ground with his staff, and suddenly gushes the spring water. The water is sweet, which is called "Tibetans spring well" by later generations. In the east of the well, there is a osmanthus tree, which is more than Zhang high, with a bowl like stem and luxuriant branches. This is what Master Taixu planted when he became a monk in xiaojiuhua temple. This tree has been growing silently since it was planted by Master Taixu. After a few years, the flowers are fragrant. Every August, believers and tourists come to the little Jiuhua temple and smell the sweet scented osmanthus. In memory of Master Taixu planting trees here, the temple has fenced the tree for viewing.

Address: yingyuedou lake, Jiuhua Road, Pingwang Town, Wujiang District, Suzhou

Longitude: 120.645136

Latitude: 30.972607

Tel: 0512-63651199

Ticket information: market price: 5.0 yuan

Chinese PinYin : Xiao Jiu Hua Si