Kaiyuan Temple and the Former Site of the Han-Tibetan Buddhist College

Kaiyuan Temple and the Former Site of the Han-Tibetan Buddhist College

Kaiyuan Temple and the Former Site of the Han-Tibetan Buddhist College are protected cultural heritage sites of Jiangsu Province.

Kaiyuan Temple is a Buddhist temple located within Meiyuan (Plum Garden) in Binhu District, Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, and is a protected cultural heritage site of Jiangsu Province.

The original site of Kaiyuan Temple was near the small bridge at the front of Meiyuan, but it was destroyed during the Xianfeng era of the Qing Dynasty. In 1930, Monk Liangru raised funds to rebuild the temple at a new location, with Rong Desheng sponsoring a 20-mu plot of land and constructing the lecture hall. In 1933, the temple was completed. In 1946, Monk Liangru founded the Wuxi Han-Tibetan Buddhist College within the temple and served as its dean, while Rong Desheng acted as chairman. In 1955, Rong Desheng’s son, Rong Yiren, handed over Meiyuan and Kaiyuan Temple to the government. In 1958, parts of the temple’s Buddhist halls were demolished. During the Cultural Revolution, Kaiyuan Temple suffered damage and Buddhist activities were halted. After reopening in 1983, Master Longxian, abbot of Guangfo Temple on Turtle Head Isle, restored and rebuilt Kaiyuan Temple. The temple includes a vegetarian restaurant that serves monastic-style vegetarian cuisine.

In March 2019, Kaiyuan Temple and the Former Site of the Han-Tibetan Buddhist College were included in the eighth batch of protected cultural heritage sites of Jiangsu Province.

Further reading:

· Eighth Batch of Protected Cultural Heritage Sites of Jiangsu Province