Baotong Temple () is a

Buddhist temple A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in Buddhism represen ...

located on the south hillside of Mount Hong, in

Wuchang District Wuchang forms part of the urban core of and is one of 13 urban districts of the prefecture-level city of Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province, China. It is the oldest of the three cities that merged into modern-day Wuhan, and stood on the rig ...

Wuhan Wuhan (, ; ; ) is the capital of Hubei, Hubei Province in the China, People's Republic of China. It is the largest city in Hubei and the most populous city in Central China, with a population of over eleven million, the List of cities in China ...

Hubei Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The prov ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. It is one of the "Four Buddhist Temples" in Wuhan.

History

Northern and Southern dynasties

The temple was first built in the

Liu Song dynasty Song, known as Liu Song (), Former Song (前宋) or Song of (the) Southern Dynasty (南朝宋) in historiography, was an imperial dynasty of China and the first of the four Southern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties period. ...

(420–479) with the name of "Dongshan Temple" () and was renamed "Mituo Temple" () in the reign of Emperor Taizong of the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

(618–907).

Song dynasty

In the Duanping period (1234–1236) of the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

(960–1279),

Emperor Lizong Emperor Lizong of Song (26 January 1205 – 16 November 1264), personal name Zhao Yun, was the 14th emperor of the Song dynasty of China and the fifth emperor of the Southern Song dynasty. He reigned from 1224 to 1264. His original name was ...

honored the name "Chongning Wanshou Chan Temple" ()

Yuan dynasty

In the

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fifth ...

(1271–1368), a seven-storey Chinese pagoda was built.

Ming dynasty

In 1381, in the 14th year of Hongwu period in the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

(1368–1644), Zhu Zhen, a son of

Hongwu Emperor The Hongwu Emperor (21 October 1328 – 24 June 1398), personal name Zhu Yuanzhang (), courtesy name Guorui (), was the founding emperor of the Ming dynasty of China, reigning from 1368 to 1398. As famine, plagues and peasant revolts in ...

, restored the temple on Mount Hong. The

Mahavira Hall A Mahavira Hall, usually simply known as a Main Hall, is the main hall or building in a traditional Chinese Buddhist temple, enshrining representations of Gautama Buddha and various other buddhas and bodhisattvas. It is encountered throughout ...

was added in 1457 by Prince Zhu Jun'e (). Baotong Temple was largely extended in 1485 and its name was changed into "Baotong Chan Temple" (), which is still in use now.

Qing dynasty

Baotong Temple underwent three renovations in the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

(1644–1911), respectively in the ruling of

Kangxi Emperor The Kangxi Emperor (4 May 1654– 20 December 1722), also known by his temple name Emperor Shengzu of Qing, born Xuanye, was the third emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1661 to 1 ...

(1676), in the reign of

Qianlong Emperor The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, born Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1735 t ...

(1792) and in the Tongzhi and Guangxu periods (1865–1879). In the heyday of the temple, it had more than 1,500 monks.

Republic of China

In 1911, during the

Xinhai Revolution The 1911 Revolution, also known as the Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, ended China's last imperial dynasty, the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, and led to the establishment of the Republic of China. The revolution was the culmination of a d ...

, the revolutionary army were here to garrison. Then

Cheng Qian Cheng Qian (; 31 March 1882 – 5 April 1968) was a Chinese army officer and politician who held very important military and political positions in both the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China.Wolfgang Bartke, ''Who was Who in the ...

donated property to repair the temple but it was demolished by wars soon. In 1932, abbot Wenxian () refurbished and redecorated the temple. On November 24, 1935, the President

Li Yuanhong Li Yuanhong (; courtesy name Songqing 宋卿) (October 19, 1864 – June 3, 1928) was a Chinese politician during the Qing dynasty and the Republic of China. He was the president of the Republic of China between 1916 and 1917, and between 1922 ...

's surpassing ceremony was held in Baotong Temple.

People's Republic of China

After the founding of the Communist State in 1952, Wuhan Municipal Government has allocated a large sum of money for constructing the temple. During the disastrous

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goal ...

, all Buddha images were destroyed and resident monks were forcefully disrobed. A pair of exquisite stone lions from Ming dynasty were also destroyed. Baotong Temple has been inscribed as a National Key Buddhist Temple in Han Chinese Area by the

State Council of China The State Council, constitutionally synonymous with the Central People's Government since 1954 (particularly in relation to local governments), is the chief administrative authority of the People's Republic of China. It is chaired by the p ...

in 1983. In 1994, the Wuchang Buddhist College was elected in Baotong Temple. The

was completed in April 2005.

Architecture

Now the existing main buildings include

Shanmen The Shanmen (), also known as the Gate of Three Liberations, is the most important gate of a Chinese Chan Buddhist temple. Etymology The origins of the name "sanmen" are debated. One theory is that "''Shanmen''" takes its literal meaning of "Mo ...

Heavenly Kings Hall The Four Heavenly Kings are four Buddhist gods, each of whom is believed to watch over one cardinal direction of the world. In Chinese mythology, they are known collectively as the "Fēng Tiáo Yǔ Shùn" () or "Sìdà Tiānwáng" (). In the a ...

Hall of Guru The Hall of Guru or Guru Hall (), also known as the Founder's Hall, is the most important annex halls in Chinese Buddhist temples for enshrining masters of various Buddhism schools. It is encountered throughout East Asia, including in some Japan ...

, Free Life Pond, Jade Buddha Hall, Meditation Hall,

Dharma Hall The Dharma Hall, also known as Lecture Hall, is an important building in Chinese Buddhism, Han Chinese Chan Buddhism, Buddhist temples. The Dharma Hall is the place for senior monks to preach and generally ranks right after the Mahavira Hall. Wit ...

, Hall of Maitreya, Reception Hall, etc.

Hongshan Pagoda

Construction to the Hongshan Pagoda began in 1280 and were completed in 1291 during the

(1271–1368), in memory of the prominent monk Lingji Ciren (). It initially called "Lingji Pagoda" () and renamed "Baotong Pagoda" () in 1485 during the

(1368–1644). Because it located on Mount Hong, the pagoda is also known as the "Hongshan Pagoda" (). The seven story, tall, octagonal-based pagoda is made of brick and stone. Its pedestal is wide. The pagoda features a facade of doors and windows, as well as columns, rafters, and brackets.

References

Bibliography

* {{National Key Buddhist Temples in Han Chinese Area 1952 establishments in China 20th-century Buddhist temples Buddhist temples in Hubei Religious buildings and structures in Wuhan Religious buildings and structures completed in 1952