Sui Ning Maitreya Temple

Sui Ning Maitreya Temple

Sui Ning Maitreya Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Zongshan Chan Temple, also known as Yangshan Temple, is located on Yangshan (also referred to as Jiao Shan, Huangshan, or Changshan), which stands alone in grandeur... The mountain, with an elevation of 213 meters, is the highest peak in northern Jiangsu excluding Lianyungang’s Yuntai Mountain. A poem from the "Eight Scenic Spots" compiled by Ji Yunlong, a scholar of the Kangxi era, describes it as: “A solitary peak towering high into the sky.” According to historical records, ancient trees once covered Jushan, and in ancient times, there was a stronghold at the mountain’s summit, within which stood the "Tai Shan Palace."

History of Zongshan Temple:

In the year 193 AD, during the Eastern Han Dynasty, Zhe Rong from Danyang was appointed as the Administrator of Xiapi. He built the Buddha Stupa Temple on Yangshan, located two li southwest of Xiapi City. The temple featured a golden stupa atop it and multiple tiers below, capable of accommodating over three thousand people. The stupa had nine golden discs (nine bronze mirrors): eight facing the eight cardinal directions, and one facing the sky, hence the name Nine-Mirror Tower. Built of brick and stone, the octagonal, nine-story Nine-Mirror Tower had upturned eaves on each level, with 480 Buddha carvings inside and out, adorned in gold leaf. The tower had 148 steps spiraling up to the top, making it the earliest pagoda in China. The Buddha Stupa Temple was also once renamed "Nine-Mirror Chan Temple" due to the tower. By the Tang Dynasty's Zhenguan era, it was renamed Shijia Monastery, which became the predecessor of Yangshan Zongshan Chan Temple. Unfortunately, the Nine-Mirror Tower was destroyed during the wars between the Song and Jin dynasties.

During the Chenghua era of the Ming Dynasty, Xu Ying, a eunuch from Pizhou and serving in the imperial palace, rebuilt Shijia Monastery upon the decree of the Empress Dowager. It was completed in May of the seventh year of Chenghua (1471), and Emperor Xiaozong Zhu Jianshen bestowed upon it the name "Zongshan Chan Temple." The temple was grand in scale, accessible via the Eighteen Bends leading up the mountain. Its main gate couplet read: “A sacred site by the Si River for millennia, an eternal Zen forest on Yangshan.” The halls were arranged along the mountain slope and included, in ascending order, the Vajra Hall, the Welcome Hall, the Great Mercy Hall, and the Arhat Hall. The rear courtyard housed a building where the “Imperial Princess Statue” and the “Three Officials” were enshrined, with the “Mysterious Metropolis Hall” and the “Yama Hall” on the eastern and western sides respectively. The temple’s bronze Sakyamuni statue contained a thousand miniature Buddhas cast into its body, weighing 4,800 jin. Before liberation, the temple was highly renowned, housing nearly a hundred resident monks, and seeing thousands of worshippers and tourists daily. Tragically, the temple was damaged by Japanese forces during the war, and during the Cultural Revolution, the monks were expelled (the last monk, named Shi Haichao, passed away in 1970), and almost all temple properties were destroyed, leaving only the “Zongshan Temple” plaque.

In 2002, with government support, the temple was rebuilt and now covers an area of 60 acres. It includes halls such as the Three Saints Treasure Hall, the Welcome Hall, and the Kṣitigarbha Hall. The temple features lush pines and cypresses, ginkgo trees providing ample shade, majestic golden halls, a solemn and awe-inspiring atmosphere, and an antique charm, making it a sacred site embodying the classic beauty of ancient temples.

Address: At the border of Sui Ning and Pizhou, Jiangsu Province