Nanquan Temple () is a Buddhist temple located in Xiangyin County,

Hunan Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi ...

, China.

History

In 1140, in ruling of Emperor Gaozong of Song dynasty (960–1279), when

Chan master Zen master is a somewhat vague English term that arose in the first half of the 20th century, sometimes used to refer to an individual who teaches Zen Buddhist meditation and practices, usually implying longtime study and subsequent authoriza ...

passed by, he set up a Buddhist temple named "Shuanglin Chan Temple" (). Because the well is in the south of the temple, it was named "Nanquan Temple" (Nan means south and Quan means well). The temple underwent three renovations in the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peo ...

(1368–1644), respectively in the ruling of

Yongle Emperor The Yongle Emperor (; pronounced ; 2 May 1360 – 12 August 1424), personal name Zhu Di (), was the third Emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigning from 1402 to 1424. Zhu Di was the fourth son of the Hongwu Emperor, the founder of the Ming dyn ...

(1406) and in the 5th year of Zhengde period (1510) and in the reign of

Jiajing Emperor The Jiajing Emperor (; 16September 150723January 1567) was the 12th Emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigning from 1521 to 1567. Born Zhu Houcong, he was the former Zhengde Emperor's cousin. His father, Zhu Youyuan (1476–1519), Prince of Xing, w ...

(1551). The temple went to ruin by fire during the Manchu invasion of the 17th century. In 1694, 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 ...

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-spea ...

(1644–1911), Chan master Chongshan Deding () restored the temple and it had reached unprecedented heyday. In 1930, Xiangyin County Middle School was established in the temple, some halls were used as classrooms. During the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...

, Xiangyin County Government came to Nanquan Temple twice to evade air raids. After the founding of the Communist State, in 1952, Xiangyin County Middle School moved to downtown Xiangyin County, the wood tiles of some halls were removed as building materials. Other halls served as classrooms of Nanquan Primary School. Later, the Nanquan Primary School caught fire and left the temple in ruins. Renovations and rebuilding to the temple began in 2001 and were completed in 2003. In 2006, Huaifan (), a Buddhist monk and a member of the CPPCC Hunan Provincial Committee, served as abbot. In December 2014, it has been categorized as an AAA level tourist site by the

China National Tourism Administration The China National Tourism Administration (CNTA; ) was a Chinese government authority responsible for the development of tourism in the country. The CNTA was subordinate to the State Council. Its headquarters are in Beijing, with regional branch ...

Architecture

Now the complex include the following halls: Shanmen Hall, Mahavira Hall,

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 ...

Hall of Guanyin The Hall of Guanyin or Guanyin Hall ( or ) is the most important annex halls in Chinese Buddhist temples and mainly for enshrining Guanyin (Avalokiteśvara). Guanyin, also called "Guanshiyin" (), "Guanshizizai" (), "Guanzizai" (), etc., is the at ...

, Bell tower, Drum tower, Hall of Kshitigarbha,

Hall of Sangharama Palace The Hall of Sangharama Palace is an important building in Han Chinese Buddhist temples. It is the east annex hall of the Mahavira Hall. The term "Sangharama" () refers to "gardens of monks" (). In Buddhism, it originally refers to constructing th ...

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 Japa ...

, Dharma Hall, Free Life Pond, etc.

Gallery

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nanquan Temple Buddhist temples in Yueyang Buildings and structures in Xiangyin County Tourist attractions in Xiangyin County 2003 establishments in China 21st-century Buddhist temples Religious buildings and structures completed in 2003