Yilan Ciyun Temple

Yilan Ciyun Temple

Yilan Ciyun Temple is a cultural relic protection unit of Heilongjiang Province.

Yilan Ciyun Temple

Yilan Ciyun Temple is located to the north of the ancient city of Yilan, within the southern embankment of the Songhua River, and to the west of the Yilan State Grain Reserve Depot. Backed by the mighty Songhua River, it faces west toward the ruins where the two emperors of the Northern Song Dynasty, Huizong and Qinzong, were held captive (“imprisoned in a well and watching the sky”), and looks south toward the ancient Wuguo Head City. The Ciyun Temple was established in the 14th year of the Republic of China (1925) by General Li Du, a renowned anti-Japanese military leader in Northeast China and the garrison commander of Yilan, who built it on the foundation of a Dragon King Temple for his elder sister.

The three gilded Chinese characters “Ciyun Temple” (Temple of Merciful Clouds) were inscribed by the late Mr. Zhao Puchu, a renowned Chinese Buddhism scholar, who passed away in mid-May 2000. The overall architectural layout of the temple is well-organized, with the main structures consisting of three halls—the Heavenly King Hall, the Mahavira Hall, and the Dragon King Hall—arranged neatly along a central axis from south to north. The first two halls face south, while the Dragon King Hall faces north. On either side of the Mahavira Hall are the east and west side rooms, and in front of the Heavenly King Hall stand the bell and drum towers.

Historically, Ciyun Temple has endured many trials and tribulations. In the final years of the puppet Manchukuo regime, most of the original copperware and statues in the temple were dismantled and donated for Japan’s war of aggression against China. During the Cultural Revolution, the temple suffered another catastrophe: the Buddha statues were destroyed, the nuns were scattered, and even the stone lions outside the temple compound were smashed. In 1977, the Cultural Relics Management Office moved into the temple, carried out repairs, and took over its management. It was also listed as a county-level cultural relic protection unit by the county government. In 1988, with the approval of the Provincial Buddhist Association, six nuns—Shi, Bao, Fa, Di, Shi, and others—officially took up residence in the temple. They established the first and only nunnery training program in the Northeast—the Heilongjiang Buddhist Academy Yilan Nuns’ Class—training several cohorts of students for regions across the country, especially the Northeast. Ciyun Temple receives around 80,000 to 90,000 visitors annually, surpassing 100,000 in 1990, with continued growth in recent years. The annual temple fair on April 18 attracts numerous merchants from nearby cities and counties for trade and commerce activities.

Address: Gujǐ Lù, Yilan County, Heilongjiang