Hualin 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 in Gulou District,

Fuzhou Fuzhou (; , Fuzhounese: Hokchew, ''Hók-ciŭ''), alternately romanized as Foochow, is the capital and one of the largest cities in Fujian province, China. Along with the many counties of Ningde, those of Fuzhou are considered to constitute t ...

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capi ...

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 ...

. After the introduction of

Chan Buddhism Chan (; of ), from Sanskrit '' dhyāna'' (meaning "meditation" or "meditative state"), is a Chinese school of Mahāyāna Buddhism. It developed in China from the 6th century CE onwards, becoming especially popular during the Tang and So ...

from China to

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

in 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), the architectural style of the Song dynasty had a profound influence on Japan's traditional cultural and folk customs. The oldest things in the temple is the Main Hall, which was built in the early

(960–1279).

History

Song dynasty

Hualin Temple was first built with the name of "Yueshan Jixiang Chan Temple" () in 964 by the then provincial governor of Fuzhou Bao Xiurang (), under the kingdom of

Wuyue Wuyue (; ), 907–978, was an independent coastal kingdom founded during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (907–960) of Chinese history. It was ruled by the Haiyan Qian clan (海盐钱氏), whose family name remains widespread in t ...

in the

Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (), from 907 to 979, was an era of political upheaval and division in 10th-century Imperial China. Five dynastic states quickly succeeded one another in the Central Plain, and more than a dozen concu ...

(907–960). During the reign of Emperor Gaozong (1127–1162), he inscribed the name on a plaque to the name. In the Song and Ming dynasties, the temple is renowned for its quiet and beautiful environment, which attracted many literati to come and compose poems to eulogize the temple, including Li Gang, Zhang Jun, Wang Yingshan, and Xie Zhaozhi.

Ming dynasty

In 1444, in the ruling of Emperor Yingzong 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), the emperor inscribed and honored the name "Hualin Temple" (), which is still in use now.

Qing dynasty

In 1644, the year of the founding of 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), Hualin Temple was renovated by monks. In 1668, 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 ...

(1662–1722), it was refurbished again. The temple became dilapidated due to neglect in the Yongzheng era (1723–1735). It was enlarged in the

Jiaqing The Jiaqing Emperor (13 November 1760 – 2 September 1820), also known by his temple name Emperor Renzong of Qing, born Yongyan, was the sixth emperor of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, and the fifth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, from ...

(1796–1820) and Daoguang periods (1821–1850).

Lin Zexu Lin Zexu (30 August 1785 – 22 November 1850), courtesy name Yuanfu, was a Chinese political philosopher and politician. He was the head of states (Viceroy), Governor General, scholar-official, and under the Daoguang Emperor of the Qing dynast ...

, a notable official in the Qing court, wrote an article about the reconstruction project.

People's Republic of China

After the establishment of the

Communist State A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state that is administered and governed by a communist party guided by Marxism–Leninism. Marxism–Leninism was the state ideology of the Soviet Union, the Comint ...

in 1953, Hualin Temple was designated as a provincial level cultural heritage by the

Fujian Provincial Government The Fujian Provincial Government was the former government that governed Fujian Province of the Republic of China. Since 2018, it has been superseded and its duties have been transferred to the Kinmen-Matsu Joint Services Center, the National ...

. In 1966,

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC) ...

launched the ten-year

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 ...

, the

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 ...

Hall of Four Heavenly Kings The Hall of Four Heavenly Kings or Four Heavenly Kings Hall (), referred to as Hall of Heavenly Kings, is the first important hall inside a shanmen (mount gate) in Chinese Buddhist temples and is named due to the Four Heavenly Kings statues enshr ...

, corridors and walls were demolished by the

Red Guards Red Guards () were a mass student-led paramilitary social movement mobilized and guided by Chairman Mao Zedong in 1966 through 1967, during the first phase of the Cultural Revolution, which he had instituted.Teiwes According to a Red Guard lead ...

with only the Main Hall remaining. On 23 February 1982, the Main Hall of Hualin Temple was listed among the second batch of "

Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Fujian Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

" 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 ...

. Hualin Temple was officially reopened to the public in the Chinese New Year of 1990.

Architecture

Main Hall

The Main Hall in the temple has single-eave gable and hip roof covered with black tiles, which represented water then and could extinguish fire. It still preserves the architectural style of the early Song dynasty. The Main Hall is high, three rooms wide, four rooms deep and covers an area of . It is rectangular in shape with eight purlins and four pillars. It is the earliest wooden architecture in

Jiangnan Jiangnan or Jiang Nan (; formerly romanized Kiang-nan, literally "South of the River" meaning "South of the Yangtze") is a geographic area in China referring to lands immediately to the south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, incl ...

Gallery

References

Bibliography

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External links

Hualin Monastery, Architectura Sinica Site Archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hualin Temple History of Fujian Buddhist temples in Fuzhou Buildings and structures in Fuzhou Tourist attractions in Fuzhou 10th-century establishments in China 10th-century Buddhist temples Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Fujian