Yunxiu 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 Xiazhuhu Subdistrict,

Deqing County, Zhejiang () is a county in the prefecture-level city of Huzhou, in the northwest of Zhejiang province. As of 2020 census, its population was 548,568 all living in the built-up (or metro) area. Deqing is very close to Hangzhou and Shaoxing, so it is becom ...

, China.

History

The original temple dates back to the year 1181, during 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). It was destroyed by fire during the Mongolian invasion of the 13th century. Monk Shi Wencui () restored and rebuilt the temple in 1345. Yunxiu Temple was devastated in the Jiajing period (1522–1566) of 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). In the Wanli period (1573–1620), Gu Duanping () appropriated a large sum of money for reconstructing the temple. A catastrophic fire destroyed most of its buildings in the

Qianlong era 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 ...

(1735–1799) 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). It was renovated and refurbished in 1887, that same year, abbot Guangyan () came to Beijing and

Guangxu Emperor The Guangxu Emperor (14 August 1871 – 14 November 1908), personal name Zaitian, was the tenth Emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the ninth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. His reign lasted from 1875 to 1908, but in practice he ruled, wi ...

granted a set of '' Chinese Buddhist canon'' to the temple. Yunxiu Temple became dilapidated for neglect during the

Republic of China (1912–1949) The Republic of China (ROC), between 1912 and 1949, was a sovereign state recognised as the official designation of China when it was based on Mainland China, prior to the Retreat of the government of the Republic of China to Taiwan, relocat ...

. In 1955, local government supervised the renovation of Yunxiu Temple. It was inscribed as a "Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the County Level" in 1982 and was classified as a "Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the Provincial Level" in December 1989.

Architecture

Now the temple has more than 40 halls and rooms. The entire complex faces the west and has an exquisite layout in the order of 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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

( Buddhist Texts Library), and Huayan Hall (). The Mahavira Hall is three rooms wide with single-eave gable and hip roof.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yunxiu Temple Buddhist temples in Zhejiang Buildings and structures in Huzhou Tourist attractions in Huzhou 20th-century establishments in China 20th-century Buddhist temples Religious buildings and structures completed in 1955