Wuxi Chong'an Temple

Wuxi Chong'an Temple

Wuxi Chong'an Temple is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction and cultural heritage site.

Chong'an Temple is the oldest temple in Wuxi, renowned alongside Shanghai’s City God Temple, Suzhou’s Xuanmiao Temple, and Nanjing’s Confucius Temple. Originally a serene Buddhist sanctuary, it later became a bustling commercial district despite lacking a functioning temple, eventually becoming synonymous with downtown Wuxi. Legend has it that Chong'an Temple was once the residence of Wang Xizhi, the Eastern Jin Dynasty calligrapher, and in the second year of Emperor Ai’s reign (364), it was converted into a temple named Xingning Temple. In the second year of the Tai Ping era of the Song Dynasty (977), it was renamed Chong'an Temple. During the Qing Dynasty’s Qianlong era, it was conferred the name Jinghui Temple. After several cycles of destruction and reconstruction, following the Xinhai Revolution, the statues were gradually removed, and the buildings repurposed.

The original site of Chong'an Temple spanned from Sheng Lane and Xinsheng Road in the east to Zhongshan Road in the west, and from Guanqian Street (now Renmin Road) in the south to Xianxiatang in the north. The architectural complex mainly included: the Mountain Gate, adorned with gold-leaf brick carvings inscribed with phrases such as “Foremost Temple of Liangxi” and “Scenic Wonder of Wu Region,” flanked by statues of the Heng and Ha Generals. It was demolished after liberation, and the First Foodstuffs Store was built on its site. The Vajra Hall housed statues of the Four Heavenly Kings and was later converted into a shop after the Xinhai Revolution, now a supermarket. The Mahavira Hall, the main structure of Chong'an Temple, featured corridors on both sides, with the Eastern Hall serving as the Bell Tower and the Western Hall as the Guanyin Pavilion. In 1927, the Wuxi General Labor Union led by Qin Qi was located in the Mahavira Hall. It was burned down by Japanese forces during the War of Resistance. The Dabei Building, a five-room structure built during the Ming Dynasty’s Wanli era, had a scripture depository upstairs, with Wang Youjun’s (Wang Xizhi) Inkstone-Washing Pool in front, later converted into Chong'an Temple Primary School. In 1963, it was reduced to a single-story building due to safety concerns, and the Inkstone-Washing Pool was filled in 1969. In 1983, it became a recreation center for veteran cadres. The Western Hall was where Wu Zhihui, Yu Fu, and others established a third-grade school in 1905 during the 31st year of the Guangxu reign. The Imperial Pavilion, built in the first year of the Guangxu reign by Wuxi County Magistrate Liao Lun to honor the emperor, stood in front of the Mahavira Hall, commonly known as the Imperial Pavilion. Inside was a plaque inscribed with: “Long Live the Current Emperor, Long Live, Long Live, Long Live.” On the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month or during imperial weddings and funerals, local officials were required to pay homage at the pavilion. It was demolished after the Xinhai Revolution and replaced with an open-roofed hall. The morning saw a vegetable market, while the afternoon hosted street performers and snack stalls. The Imperial Pavilion Snacks featured dozens of Wuxi dim sum varieties, along with eateries like Gongbei Lou, Xin Wanxing, and Jin A Pang. In 1975, the site was transformed into a 4-story, 5,000+ sqm Renmin Road Market, now a supermarket. Other structures, such as the South Courtyard, North Courtyard, Wansong Courtyard, and Zhongyin Courtyard, have long been demolished or repurposed.

To the east of Chong'an Temple was the Daoist Dongxu Palace, once the largest Taoist temple in Wuxi. Its main structures included: the Three Pure Ones Hall, demolished in 1915 and rebuilt as the city library, which featured a large chiming clock known as the Clock Tower. In 2000, the library relocated south of Taihu Square. After the Three Pure Ones Hall’s conversion, the resident Taoist priest built a smaller Three Pure Ones Hall nearby, including the Thunder God Hall and the Fire God Hall, where folk musician Hua Yanjun (Blind Ah Bing) lived for nearly 40 years—now at 30 Library Road, now Ah Bing’s Former Residence. The Jade Emperor Hall, before liberation, served as the site of Wuxi County Council and later as the city’s Children’s Palace. It now houses a garden market. The Three Officials Hall has been demolished.

In the past, grand worship activities were held on the 19th day of the sixth lunar month for Guanyin’s birthday and the ninth day of the first lunar month for the Jade Emperor’s birthday, evolving into temple fairs. From the first day of the lunar new year to the mid-month, people from surrounding towns flocked to Chong'an Temple, matching the vibrancy of temple fairs.

Chong'an Temple Primary School was established behind the temple (later known as Park Lane), founded in 1909. Revolutionary Lu Dingyi, a native of Wuxi, once inscribed the school’s plaque. In 1971, the main school building was handed over to Chongwu Primary School (later Chong'an Primary School). In 1984, Chong'an Temple Primary School moved to new premises near the library. Chong'an Primary School, in turn, relocated in 1982 to the former site of Dalou Lane Primary School, with the original schoolhouse repurposed by the city’s veteran cadres bureau into a recreation center. In the 1990s, the school was demolished during Chong'an Temple’s renovation, merging with Chong'an Primary School in Dalou Lane.

In 2003, the first phase of the Chong'an Temple renovation project commenced, leveraging the existing Cultural Park, ancient wells, historic residences, and ancient halls to create a premium fashion district, cultural entertainment zone, and commercial service area. It now integrates distinctive commerce, dining, culture, and leisure within a boutique pedestrian street. The project covers 28.6 hectares and aims to establish the premier commercial hub in southern Jiangsu and among the best nationwide.

Address: Intersection of Renmin Middle Road and Xinsheng Road, Liangxi District, Wuxi (Zhongshan Road)

Type: Boutique Street

Rating: AAAA

Recommended Visit Duration: 1–3 hours

Phone: 0510-82738337; 0510-82737992

Opening Hours:

Open all day

Ticket Information:

Free admission.