Renshou 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 ...

situated in downtown

Foshan Foshan (, ), alternately romanized as Fatshan, is a prefecture-level city in central Guangdong Province, China. The entire prefecture covers and had a population of 9,498,863 as of the 2020 census. The city is part of the western side of the ...

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...

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 ...

History

Renshou Temple was first built in the 13th year of Period Shunzhi (1656) 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 ...

(1646–1911) by

Chan Chan may refer to: Places *Chan (commune), Cambodia *Chan Lake, by Chan Lake Territorial Park in Northwest Territories, Canada People *Chan (surname), romanization of various Chinese surnames (including 陳, 曾, 詹, 戰, and 田) *Chan Caldwel ...

master Zongtang (). In the 8th year of the age of Kangxi 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 ...

, namely AD 1669, monk Yulin () rebuilt 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 ...

. In the 1st year of Period Xianfeng (1851), monk Renji () reconstruction the temple. In 1935, Li Peixian (), a Chinese Tantric monk, donated property to establish the Ruyi Pagoda (), whose canonization ceremony was held by Venerable Master Hsu Yun in 1938. In 1952, it was taken as a granary by the newly founded Communist government. After 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 ...

in 1982, Xu Yeping () and other lay Buddhists donated money to rebuild the temple. Shi Dashan () was invited to serve as its abbot. On June 29, 1998, Renshou temple was officially opened to the public.

Architecture

Now the existing main buildings include 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 ...

, 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 ...

and the Ruyi Pagoda. Ruyi Pagoda is a seven story octagonal pagoda which was inlaid with

Tibetan Tibetan may mean: * of, from, or related to Tibet * Tibetan people, an ethnic group * Tibetan language: ** Classical Tibetan, the classical language used also as a contemporary written standard ** Standard Tibetan, the most widely used spoken dial ...

tablets and plaques. There are more than ten porcelain Buddha statues inside the pagoda.

List of abbot

* Zongtang () * Yulin () * Zhiyuan () * Ciyun () * Shi Dashan () * Shi Mingsheng ()

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Renshou Temple Buildings and structures in Foshan Buddhist temples in Guangdong Tourist attractions in Foshan 1656 establishments in China 17th-century Buddhist temples Religious buildings and structures completed in 1656