Wuxi Jinghui Temple

Wuxi Jinghui Temple

Wuxi Jinghui Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Jinghui Temple, located in Xin'an Town, Wuxi New District, was built during the Jiading era of the Southern Song Dynasty (1208–1224). The temple was granted its name upon construction, and was later rebuilt in the 27th year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty (1599) by a local named Wang Shi.

It was once ranked as one of the top ten famous temples in southern China. There is also a village called Jinghui, which is said to have been the headquarters of Zhou Yu, the naval commander of the Eastern Wu kingdom during the Three Kingdoms period. By the Song Dynasty, it had become an important military stronghold by Taihu Lake and was converted into the residence of General Chufu.

The temple covers an area of 68 mu. It is said that Jinghui Temple was originally the command post of Zhou Yu’s navy during the Three Kingdoms period. Later, the righteous general Chufu of the Southern Dynasties passed by and, seeing that the site faced the vast Taihu Lake and was surrounded by the lands of Wu and Yue, decided to rebuild it as a temple. It has a history of over 1,400 years.

The first things that catch your eye are two tall rectangular stone slabs standing in front. Upon closer inspection, they turn out to have been used for flagpoles, with faint inscriptions and patterns on them, though these are now too blurred to make out. To the south lies a pond. Because of a small bridge to the west, it's unclear whether it was originally a river or a temple-front pool. Around the pond are several large stones, and from the remaining carvings, it's known that these were remnants of the temple’s former structures. One can imagine how majestic they must have been in their prime. Now, they lie quietly, accompanied only by fallen incense ash. There are also two stone pagodas nearby, newly carved in later times—it’s unclear if they echo the forms of those ancient stones. Nearby lies another stone that, depending on the angle, looks like a pig, a fish, or a beast... Perhaps it could be considered a treasure of the temple.

Historical records state: During the Shaoding era of the Great Song Dynasty, at the height of its popularity, the temple housed over 300 monks and owned more than 500 mu of temple fields. When Liu Bowen, the military strategist of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty, visited Jinghui Temple, there was a legend that he took six steps on the Incense Flower Bridge, causing the river water to reverse and flow westward.

Today, the temple still retains historic sites such as the Old Camp Bridge, Six-Step Bridge, and Armory Bridge. Within the temple grounds are relics including the General’s Tomb, Twin Pagodas and Lotus Stone Pillar, Monks’ Graves, Flagpole Stones, and ancient Osmanthus trees, as well as names of old villages.

Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, during his visit to Changzhou, specifically requested to tour Jinghui Temple. As the road could not be repaired in time, the local officials in Wuxi moved the temple’s plaque to Chong’an Temple in Wuxi. Emperor Qianlong then granted an imperial decree to rebuild Jinghui Temple and bestowed a new plaque. He also left behind a poem: “The lotus of the South Sea blooms with nine-fold fragrance; the green bamboo of the West stands verdant for a thousand years.”

Since Jinghui Temple and Hangzhou’s Lingyin Temple both lie on the 120-degree longitude line, there is an old legend that their front and back doors align, leading people to call Jinghui Temple “Little Hangzhou.” For over a thousand years, Jinghui Temple has enjoyed enduring incense offerings, though it has also suffered through the turmoil of wars.