Xiangguang Temple Scenic Area

Xiangguang Temple Scenic Area

Xiangguang Temple Scenic Area is a cultural tourism attraction.

Xiangguang Temple Scenic Area

Located in the northeast corner of Erjia, an important town in eastern Tongzhou, Xiangguang Temple was originally named “Xiangguang Lotus Society” and served as a site for the Pure Land Buddhism tradition. Its former site was on Tuanjie Street in Erjia. In 1933, it was established as a lay Buddhist society by local devotees. Between 1935 and 1938, with the fundraising and efforts of devotee Jiang Qiming (who later became a monk, taking the Dharma name Xindao), structures such as the mountain gate and main hall—totaling 33 rooms—were built successively. Facing south and covering an area of two mu, the temple adopted a traditional quadrangle layout. After the temple’s completion, Monk Youxiu was invited to serve as its first abbot. In 1940, Zhenzhen inherited the dharma mantle. Jiang Qian (courtesy name Yiyuan), a renowned modern Buddhist layperson who had previously served as the principal of Tongzhou Normal School and the head of the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education, was invited by the monastic community to give sermons at the temple. The name “Xiangguang Lotus Society” was inscribed by Jiang himself with delight. Later, Master Zhenzhen, considering that the temple was now managed by monks, renamed it “Xiangguang Lotus Temple.” From then on, it gained widespread fame and became one of the larger and more influential temples in the eastern Tongzhou region.

Through the shifting tides of history, many changes ensued. In 1958, Xiangguang Temple was converted into a local hospital. The remaining Buddha statues were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. By the 1980s, the temple was approved for restoration and reopening in 1986, and in June 1987, permission was granted to rebuild the temple complex at a new location (then called the Chanting Hall). In 1991, the Nantong Municipal People’s Government officially approved the name “Xiangguang Temple of Tongzhou City.”

Today, Xiangguang Temple covers an area of 19.57 mu, with a building area of 3,019.8 square meters, making it one of the larger and more magnificent temples in the Nantong area. Its architectural layout follows the traditional Buddhist central axis structure, featuring a front courtyard and rear garden, with religious activity halls aligned along the central axis. The side rooms serve various purposes, including greeting guests, as scripture halls, Buddha halls, and dining areas. The temple grounds are richly planted with flowers and trees, offering lush greenery and the fragrance of flowers throughout the seasons, embodying the serene charm of a Buddhist realm.

The revival of Xiangguang Temple owes much to Master Juezheng, a distinguished monastic figure. Born on the first day of the seventh lunar month in 1918, originally from Dongwu Family Bridge in Sijia, Tongzhou County (now Wanghao Township, Haimen City), with the secular surname Wang and given name Fuyan, he became a monk at the young age of around ten and ordained at Yujitemple in Sanyu Town, more than ten miles from his home. In 1944, he resided and practiced at Xiangguang Temple, becoming a disciple of Master Zhenzhen. Throughout his long monastic journey, he studied and stayed at the Tianning Buddhist Academy in Changzhou, as well as at the Longhua and Jade Buddha temples in Shanghai. In 1984, at the invitation of Abbot Miaoshan, he served as the supervisor of Fayu Temple on Mount Putuo and as vice president of the Mount Putuo Buddhist Association.

With deep reverence for his ancestral temple, the master harbored a heartfelt commitment to its preservation. In 1987, through his connections, a jade statue of the Buddha was brought from Beijing and enshrined in the temple. In 1991, when the master returned to Nantong to visit family, he paid homage to his ancestral temple and donated 200,000 RMB toward its reconstruction. In 1992, he oversaw the rebuilding of the side rooms on either side of the “Three Saints Hall.” Known for his high virtue and respected by many, the master was invited in 1992 to also serve as the abbot of Xiangguang Temple. Thereafter, despite his advanced age, he personally traveled to Hong Kong and Macau to forge beneficial connections. With donations from Hong Kong entrepreneurs such as Chen Tinghua and Chen Hongchen, as well as support from devotees and enterprises, he raised over 8 million RMB, enabling the temple’s restoration to progress swiftly and smoothly.

Since its founding, Xiangguang Temple has been cherished by eminent monks and virtuous masters. In the 1930s, Master Yuanying, then president of the National Buddhist Association, inscribed a couplet: “Seeing the Tathagata not as form nor emptiness, beholding the Self as neither self nor other.” He also received funding support for the temple’s construction from the 13th Patriarch of the Pure Land Tradition, Master Yinguang. Zhao Puchu, former Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and President of the Buddhist Association of China, personally inscribed the names for Xiangguang Temple and the Mahavira Hall—two treasured calligraphic works that remain preserved in the temple. Ming, Vice President of the Buddhist Association of China and direct disciple of Master Yuanying,...

...re-wrote his master’s couplet and presented it to Xiangguang Temple. This spiritually blessed temple has been renewed and revitalized, bringing joy and blessings to monastics and lay followers alike, while also serving as a beautiful showcase of reform and opening-up in Nantong and the broader Jiangsu region.