Former Residence of Xu Beihong in Yixing

Yixing Chaoyin Temple

Yixing Chaoyin Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Chaoyin Temple is situated at the foot of Daiahua Mountain in Fangqiao Town, Yixing City, Jiangsu Province, by the side of Yangshan Lake (Pond). Historical records indicate that there are three Chaoyin Temples in China: in Yixing, Tianjin, and Hainan, with the one in Fangqiao, Yixing, being the earliest to be established. According to local chronicles from Yunyang (the former name of Fangqiao), the ancient Chaoyin Temple, often referred to as the “Floating Water Hall,” was built on a lotus-leaf-shaped land surrounded by water on three sides by Yangshan Lake (Pond), covering an area of over 10 mu. It originally had 56 rooms, including the front hall, main hall, side buildings, and monks’ quarters, with a total construction area of 2,500 square meters. The halls were spacious and grand, with solemn and magnificent Buddha statues inside.

The front hall of Chaoyin Temple features arhat statues facing the mountain gate at the front, while the guardian deity Skanda stands at the back. The four Heavenly Kings are enshrined on the east and west sides. Between the front and middle halls lies a courtyard, in the center of which stands a large incense burner three meters high. On the east and west sides of the courtyard are auxiliary halls dedicated to the Goddess of Childbirth and the Ten Kings of Hell. The middle hall, called the “Mahavira Hall,” has its four characters inscribed by Zeng Guoquan, the younger brother of Zeng Guofan, leader of the Xiang Army and Viceroy of the North. The calligraphy is round, powerful, and vigorous. The Mahavira Hall houses three Buddha statues at the front — the central one being Sakyamuni, while the back features the Avalokiteshvara treading on a makara. The east and west sides are adorned with the Eighteen Arhats. Tall bell and drum towers stand at the east and west corners. Between the Mahavira Hall and the side buildings is another courtyard, where three large osmanthus trees (referred to as “suo po trees”) once stood, their canopies shading the adjacent wing rooms. At the northernmost part of the temple is the side building, where a thousand-armed Guanyin is enshrined on the upper floor.

From the Southern and Northern Dynasties to the Taiping Rebellion, over hundreds of years of frequent warfare, Chaoyin Temple in Fangqiao, Yixing, was repeatedly destroyed by fire but was also rebuilt time and again. By the time before the founding of the People’s Republic of China, only broken steles and dilapidated structures remained, and the original site had been repurposed multiple times. In the year 2000, the Yixing Religious Affairs Bureau officially issued a document approving the restoration and reconstruction of the ancient Chaoyin Temple, ushering in a new era of hope and imminent glory for this renowned temple known far and wide. After years of planning, and especially through the efforts of the local government to successfully relocate the occupying units and return the land to the temple, the reconstruction project officially commenced in the warm spring of February 2006 under the specific implementation of the Yixing Buddhist Association, with the support and attention of both the Yixing Municipal Government Religious Affairs Bureau and the Fangqiao Government.

Transportation Guide

Scenic Area Address: At the foot of Daiahua Mountain, Fangqiao Town, Yixing City, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province

Transit Routes: Take a bus bound for Fangqiao Town within Yixing City, and get off at the Fangqiao Bus Station.