The King of Taiping Heavenly Kingdom’s Mansion in Yixing

Fuyuan Chan Temple on Dachao Mountain

Fuyuan Chan Temple on Dachao Mountain is a cultural tourism attraction.

Fuyuan Chan Temple is hidden among the pines and bamboos on Dachao Mountain, the highest peak in southeastern Yixing, about fifty li from the city center. It was first built during the Jingding era of the Song Dynasty. It was destroyed during the wars at the end of the Yuan Dynasty. In the early years of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty,

During the War of Resistance against Japan, Fuyuan Temple served as an operational base for the guerrilla forces of the Chinese Communist underground party. Generals of the New Fourth Army, including Su Yu, Tan Zhenlin, and Shi Zhonghan, successively led troops here and established an Anti-Japanese University (Kangda) education site within the temple, where Shi Zhonghan gave lectures to promote resistance against Japan. Some progressive youth from Yanlin Middle School also came to attend these sessions. In the winter of 1944, under the guidance of collaborators, Japanese puppet troops set Fuyuan Temple ablaze. The raging fire lasted three full days and nights, a testament to the temple’s massive scale at the time. After liberation in 1949, only a few dilapidated rooms remained in the temple, too run-down for even one monk to maintain. The remaining materials were later dismantled to build an elementary school, and during the Cultural Revolution, whatever was left was completely destroyed.

In 1995, local residents spontaneously raised funds to rebuild Fuyuan Temple. As the original site had been turned into a quarry for stone mining, the new temple was constructed with nine thatched cottages about 200 meters down the mountain. In 1996, the Yixing Municipal People's Government officially approved Yanshan Fuyuan Temple as a Buddhist activity site. From 2000 to the present, under the leadership of Abbot Changsong, the temple has been diligently managed and extensively funded through donations from all over. It now covers an area of over 100 acres and includes structures such as the Heavenly King Hall, Main Hall, Dragon King Hall, Guanyin Hall, Three Saints Hall, Ksitigarbha Hall, monks’ quarters, and dormitories, with a total construction area of more than 3,000 square meters. The temple has begun to take on a substantial scale.

Scenic Area Address: Bailintang, Dongcun Village, Dingshu Town, Yixing City, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province (next to National Highway 104)

Dongcun Village: Located on the north side of National Highway 104. … Dongcun Village detailed information++