Nengren 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

Xunyang District Xunyang District () is a district of the city of Jiujiang, Jiangxi province, China. Administrative divisions Xunyang District has 7 subdistricts. ;7 subdistricts Transport * Beijing–Kowloon railway The Beijing–Kowloon railway, also know ...

Jiujiang Jiujiang (), formerly transliterated Kiukiang or Kew Keang, is a prefecture-level city located on the southern shores of the Yangtze River in northwest Jiangxi Province, People's Republic of China. It is the second-largest prefecture-level city ...

Jiangxi Jiangxi (; ; formerly romanized as Kiangsi or Chianghsi) is a landlocked province in the east of the People's Republic of China. Its major cities include Nanchang and Jiujiang. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze river in the north int ...

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 ...

. Nengren Temple is one of the "Three Buddhist Temples of Jiujiang". It has been authorized 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. Nengren Temple was first built in the

Northern and Southern dynasties The Northern and Southern dynasties () was a period of political division in the history of China that lasted from 420 to 589, following the tumultuous era of the Sixteen Kingdoms and the Eastern Jin dynasty. It is sometimes considered as ...

(420–589), and went through many changes and repairs through the following dynasties. The modern temple was founded in 1870 in the

Tongzhi period Tongzhi (Wade-Giles: ''T'ung-chih'') can refer to: * Tongzhi Emperor (1856–1875, reigned 1861–1875) of the Qing dynasty **Tongzhi Restoration (c. 1860–1874), an attempt to strengthen the late Qing dynasty ** Tongzhi porcelain, a Chinese porcel ...

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).

History

Liang and Tang dynasties

Nengren Temple was first built between 502 and 549 during the reign of

Emperor Wu of Liang Emperor Wu of Liang () (464 – 12 June 549), personal name Xiao Yan (蕭衍), courtesy name Shuda (叔達), childhood name Lian'er (練兒), was the founding emperor of the Chinese Liang dynasty, during the Northern and Southern dynasties perio ...

Liang dynasty The Liang dynasty (), alternatively known as the Southern Liang () in historiography, was an imperial dynasty of China and the third of the four Southern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties period. It was preceded by the South ...

(502–557), rebuilt in the Dali period (766–779) of

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 ...

, and initially called "Chengtian Temple" ().

Song dynasty

The temple had reached unprecedented heyday in the reign of Emperor Renzong (1041–1048) of the

Northern Song dynasty Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ra ...

(960–1127), while monk Baiyunduan () resided in the temple chanting and practicing scriptures, and attracted large numbers of practitioners.

Yuan dynasty

In 1352, in the 12th year of Zhizheng period (1341–1370) 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), the temple was completely destroyed by war.

Ming dynasty

In 1379, at the dawn of

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 local government rebuilt the temple. In 1498, in the second year of Hongzhi era, the temple was renamed "Nengren Temple". In 1573 during the reign of

Wanli Emperor The Wanli Emperor (; 4 September 1563 – 18 August 1620), personal name Zhu Yijun (), was the 14th Emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigned from 1572 to 1620. "Wanli", the era name of his reign, literally means "ten thousand calendars". He was the ...

, the Buddhist Texts Library was added to the temple.

Qing dynasty

In the Qianlong period (1736–1796) of the

(1644–1911), the emperor bestowed a set of '' Tripitakas'' on the temple. During the Xianfeng period (1851–1861), it became deserted and restored in the

(1862–1874).

People's Republic of China

In July 1957, the Jiangxi People's Provincial Government classified the temple as a provincial-level key cultural heritage. In 1983, Nengren Temple was designated as a National Key Buddhist Temple in Han Chinese Area by the

Architecture

Nengren Temple is built along the up and down of mountains and divided into the front, middle and end routes. The central axis of the complex are 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 ...

, Shuangyang Bridge,

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 ...

, Iron Buddha Hall, and Buddhist Texts Library.

Mahavira Hall

The Mahavira Hall is the main hall of Nengren Temple enshrining

Sakyamuni Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in Lu ...

. Statues of Kassapa and Ananda are placed on the left and right sides of his statue. The statues of

Eighteen Arhats The Eighteen Arhats (or Luohan) () are depicted in Chinese Buddhism as the original followers of Gautama Buddha (''arhat'') who have followed the Noble Eightfold Path and attained the four stages of enlightenment. They have reached the state of Ni ...

stand on both sides of the hall.

Dasheng Pagoda

The Dasheng Pagoda () was first built in 766 and rebuilt in 1379. The seven-story, ,

hexagonal In geometry, a hexagon (from Greek , , meaning "six", and , , meaning "corner, angle") is a six-sided polygon. The total of the internal angles of any simple (non-self-intersecting) hexagon is 720°. Regular hexagon A '' regular hexagon'' has ...

-based Chinese pagoda is made of brick and stone.

Stone Boat

The Stone Boat () was made in 1406 in the Qingli period of

(960–1127). It is long, wide, and deep. During the Yuanyou period (1086–1094), an iron Buddha () was cast and placed on the boat. Legend says that in the Northern Song dynasty a monk dreamed about an iron Buddha ferrying across the river in a stone boat. In the

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 Iron Buddha was 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 ...

Shuangyang Bridge

The marble three-arch Shuangyang Bridge () was built in the Yuanyou period (1086–1094) of the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127), its banisters were engraved patterns of various flying phoenixes, lotuses, Hercules, monsters, etc.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nengren Temple Buddhist temples in Jiangxi Buildings and structures in Jiujiang Tourist attractions in Jiujiang 19th-century establishments in China 19th-century Buddhist temples Religious buildings and structures completed in 1870