Yingkou Lengyan Temple

Yingkou Lengyan Temple

Lengyan Temple is a cultural relic protection unit of Liaoning Province.

Lengyan Temple is located in Hui’an Community, Batiandi Subdistrict Office, Zhanqian District, adjacent to a park on the east, which is named Lengyan Temple Park. It is one of the more intact large temple complexes from the Republican era in our province. Facing south and covering an area of 10,000 square meters, the north-facing temple features three courtyards and includes ninety-nine Buddhist halls.

Lengyan Temple was first built in 1922 and completed and consecrated in 1931. It was constructed by Monk Dingding through extensive fundraising on the site of the former Buddhist preaching hall. Legend has it that Zen Master Dingding from Guanzong Temple in Ningbo, Zhejiang, came to Yingkou to preach Buddhism and conceived the idea of building a local temple. After discussions and feng shui assessments, it was determined that the site of the former preaching hall was located at the dragon’s head — an auspicious spot for temple construction. The plan was approved by the then Yingkou County government.

It took ten years to complete Lengyan Temple. A large plaque hangs above the mountain gate, inscribed with four characters: “Lengyan Temple,” written by Zheng Xiaoxu, the “State Councilor” of the Puyi puppet regime. The temple houses ninety-nine Buddhist halls with neatly arranged courtyards. All structures are distributed along a central north-south axis. The temple complex is grand in scale and majestic in appearance, featuring a mountain gate, the Hall of Heavenly Kings, the Mahavira Hall, and a scripture depository along the central axis, with bell and drum towers and side halls on both sides. In the mid-1990s, a nine-story pagoda was added east of the temple, followed by a screen wall directly south of the mountain gate. The temple buildings rest on granite plinths, with walls made of blue bricks laid in a “one stretcher, one header” pattern and precisely jointed. The mountain gate and bell towers feature hip-and-gable roofs, while the Mahavira Hall, scripture depository, and side halls have flush gable roofs. All structures employ large wooden frameworks, with tiled roofs and carved, hollowed, and painted roof ridges and brackets. The brackets are vividly sculpted and colored, creating lifelike images.

The mountain gate is the main entrance structure of the temple complex, designed as a double-eave hip-and-gable building with overhanging corners. Lotus carvings adorn the ridge sides, and mythical beast ornaments (chiwen) sit at both ends. The southern wall features a central arched doorway with two pairs of vermilion doors reinforced with iron and decorated with wooden nails. Thirty-eight blue-brick bracket arms (dougong) are found around the walls, all with double jump arms. Outer eaves beams are painted with motifs such as dragons catching pearls, clouds, and floral patterns. Brick carvings of immortals and mythical beasts top the wall edges. Inside, the guardians Heng and Ha are enshrined, with side doors on each side. The current plaque reading “Lengyan Temple” above the upper eave of the mountain gate is the calligraphy of Zhao Puchu.

Passing through the mountain gate leads into the first courtyard, where the Hall of Heavenly Kings stands facing you. This large wooden rigid-gable structure has front and rear doors, six steps leading up, and measures 22.5 meters in length, 13.8 meters in width, and about 8.5 meters in height. The main ridge is carved with a design of four dragons catching pearls, with chiwen at both ends. Six vertical columns line each of the front and rear eaves, with 32 bracket arms beneath them, and the column-top brackets consist of seven tiers. Beams are painted with motifs of dragons, mythical beasts, clouds, and flowers. The upper parts of the wall brackets feature brick carvings of immortals and divine animals. The hall enshrines the Maitreya Buddha, flanked by the Four Heavenly Kings, with Skanda standing behind. The rigid-gable roof features openwork carvings of four dragons playing with pearls on the main ridge.

The bell and drum towers are situated on either side of the first courtyard, west and east respectively, each about 12 meters tall and accessible via five steps. Both towers are square, 7 meters on each side, with hip-and-gable double-eave roofs and large wooden frameworks. Lotus carvings decorate the ridge sides, with chiwen at the ends. Twelve vertical columns surround each tower, with those on the top layer positioned along the central axis of the walls. The lower parts of the bell tower’s south, north, and west walls each have a circular window, while the east side has six full-height doors. The drum tower has similar windows on the south, north, and east walls, with six full-height doors on the west. A hidden room lies between the upper and lower levels of each tower. A large bell hangs from the central beam of the bell tower, producing a pleasant sound audible for miles, while a large drum is mounted inside the drum tower. The resonant sounds of morning bells and evening drums emanate from here.

The Mahavira Hall is the main structure of the second courtyard and the central building of the entire temple complex. Built on a 1.1-meter-high granite platform, it has front and rear doors and six steps leading up. This large wooden rigid-gable hall measures 20.5 meters in length, 11.5 meters in width, and about 12.5 meters in height. The main ridge features carvings of dragons playing with pearls, with a central stupa-shaped flame pearl rising independently. The roof ridge is intricately carved and hollowed out, offering a strong three-dimensional effect, decorative appeal, material efficiency, and wind resistance, thereby extending the building’s lifespan. Each wall bracket is adorned with carvings of immortals, pairs of divine beasts, and flowers in blue brick, while the lower edge of each diagonal ridge features five differently posed animal ornaments. The roof appears alive with mythical creatures seemingly dancing and ready to take flight. The gable walls feature lotus carvings rarely seen in other temples. The hall enshrines the Sakyamuni Buddha, with the Medicine Buddha to the right, Amitabha Buddha to the left, and the Eighteen Arhats on both sides. The lifelike statues convey solemnity and reverence.

The scripture depository is located in the center of the third courtyard and is the last structure of the temple. The original building was damaged during the 1975 southern Liaoning earthquake. The rebuilt scripture depository is a flush-gable, large-roofed pavilion with corridors on all four sides. Dragons are carved along the main ridge, and 24 vertical columns stand on each side. Three doors open to the south, one to the north, with stone steps leading up. A staircase inside the eastern end provides direct access to the second floor.

There are four side halls, located on both sides of the central axis of the temple, in front of and behind the main halls. Each measures five bays in width, two in depth, 20.5 meters in length, and 8 meters in width, with flush-gable roll-roofed eaves, large wooden frameworks, precisely jointed blue bricks, and animal ornaments on the diagonal ridges.

The overall layout of Lengyan Temple is rigorous and orderly, forming a complete temple complex. The buildings, constructed with exquisitely joined blue bricks, rank among the Northeast’s Four Great Buddhist Forests. During the annual temple fair on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, the site teems with visitors, the sound of sutra chanting fills the halls, and devout worshippers flock from near and far.

At its inception, Lengyan Temple housed forty-two Buddhist statues made from wood, clay, bronze, and colored porcelain. Each statue was exquisitely crafted, creating an immersive devotional experience. The scripture depository once stored over 720 volumes of Ming and Qing dynasty scriptures, with each volume consisting of tens of books — including renowned texts like the Diamond Sutra and the Tripitaka. Until the mid-1960s, the statues, scriptures, and architecture remained well preserved. However, they suffered severe damage during the Cultural Revolution, with carvings, paintings, scriptures, artworks, and precious artifacts destroyed, statues demolished, one drum from the drum tower and the mountain gate plaque lost, and all scriptures burned. Monks left the temple. In 1977, after the Yingkou cultural relics administration took over, the temple was restored to its original state from 1978 to 1983 with state funding. With the implementation of religious policies, the temple is now managed by the Buddhist Association, bustling with monks and worshippers.

Buddhism was introduced to China in the 10th year of the Yongping era during the Eastern Han Dynasty (67 AD). Since Yingkou’s founding in the Ming Dynasty, its strategic location along the Bohai Sea and Liao River attracted merchants and fishermen from Shanghai, Tianjin, Fujian, and Guangdong, who settled and gradually formed a bustling community. With diverse customs and beliefs, temple-building flourished. Temples such as Tianhou Palace (West Grand Temple), Laoye Pavilion, and Little South Sea enjoyed great popularity. However, for unknown historical reasons, Mahayana Buddhism arrived late. Not until the early 20th century did Yingkou see a preaching hall disseminating Buddhist teachings, leading to the proposal by five elders and four juniors to build a temple — thus, Lengyan Temple emerged and gained fame across China and beyond from the 1930s onward.

The temple boasts majestic halls, exquisitely crafted Buddha statues, a rich collection of scriptures, and priceless paintings. At its peak, it hosted over a thousand monks and lay practitioners. Everyday saw streams of worshippers and visits from dignitaries, and during Buddhist events, eminent monks gathered amid incense and chanting that echoed beyond the temple. The name “Lengyan” is derived from the “Śūraṅgama Sūtra” (“Lengyan Jing”), a key Mahayana text. The temple was thus named for its deep spiritual significance. Any temple dedicated to meditation may be called a “Chan Temple” (Zen Temple), hence the full name “Lengyan Chan Temple.”

In 1997, with approval from the provincial Department of Culture, the nine-story Lengyan Pagoda was completed within the temple’s protected area. It stands 61.8 meters tall with a unique architectural style. The mountain gate was renovated in 2011.

In 1979, the Liaoning Provincial Revolutionary Committee (Document No. 辽革发[1979]215) listed it as a second batch provincial-level key cultural relic protection unit. The protection scope and construction control zone designated by the Liaoning Provincial Government (Document No. 辽政发[1993]8) are as follows: within the temple wall and extending 76.5 meters south to the southern wall of Lengyan Temple Park, 33 meters west to the park’s western wall, 20 meters north to the northern side of Xinxing Avenue, and 10 meters east — this defines the protected area. Beyond this, the area 100 meters east is a Class III construction control zone, and the area west to the roadside stones of Xinhua Road is a Class II control zone.

Address: No. 16, West Xinxing Avenue, Zhanqian District, Yingkou City

Type: Temple

Recommended visiting time: 1 hour

Opening hours:

8:00-18:00

Ticket information:

Door price: 10.0 RMB

Information source: Municipal Bureau of Culture, Sports, Press and Publication

Hui’an Community: Hui’an Community…… Hui’an Community detailed information++