Nanjing Xianglin Temple

Nanjing Xianglin Temple

Xianglin Temple is a cultural heritage site protected by Nanjing Municipality.

Xianglin Temple is located in the Fuxinqiao area of Xuanwu District, Nanjing. It was once one of the Three Great Temples of Nanjing, alongside Jiming Temple and Gulin Temple. Redology experts have verified that during the Qing Dynasty, Xianglin Temple served as the family temple of the Cao family from the Jiangning Weaving Bureau. The Iron Threshold Temple described by Cao Xueqin in "Dream of the Red Chamber" is based on Xianglin Temple.

Xianglin Temple was first built during the Tianjian era of the Xiao Liang Dynasty (502–519), originally in Dugui Village, Hushu Town, Nanjing (now Hushu Subdistrict, Jiangning District, Nanjing), and was then called Dugui Courtyard.

It was renamed Xianglin Temple during the Song Dynasty. The "Jingding Jiankang Zhi" from the Southern Song Dynasty, citing the "Qingyuan Zhi Gu Zhong Ji," states: “During the Tianjian era of the Liang Dynasty, two ministers surnamed Du and Gui, who were in charge of court affairs, converted their residence into a temple, hence naming it after their surname.”

The "Zhizheng Jinling Xin Zhi" from the Yuan Dynasty records Xianglin Temple as follows: “Dugui Courtyard is located in Danyang Township, Shangyuan County.” This text cites the earlier "Qiandao Zhi," which states: “Xianglin Temple is sixty li southeast of the city. Built in the sixth year of the Baoda era of the Southern Tang (949), it was established in Dugui Village and named after the courtyard. Now called Xianglin Temple, also known as Xianglin Courtyard, it is located west of Chishan Mountain.”

In the first year of the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty (1368), Xianglin Temple was relocated into the city — specifically to the north of the Ming Imperial Palace in eastern Nanjing. It was renovated in the fifteenth year of the Chenghua era (1479). At that time, it was classified as a “middle temple,” under the jurisdiction of Linggu Temple, but also supervised one smaller “minor temple,” the Guanyin Nunnery. Its scale included “one mountain gate, three bays for the Heavenly King Hall, three bays for the Main Buddha Hall, three bays for the left Sangharama Hall, three bays for the right Patriarch Hall, three bays for the Great Compassion Hall, three bays for the Scripture Depository Hall, and a foundation spanning ten mu.”

In the early years of the Republic of China, Chen Yifu, a Nanjing historical expert, wrote in "Regional Records of Zhongnan and Huaibei": “To the northwest lies Xianglin Temple, built during the Ming Dynasty behind the Houzai Gate. The Buddha’s tooth from Liang’s Qingyun Temple was preserved here; there is also a giant vine that naturally forms a chair, capable of seating several people.”

The former site of Xianglin Temple currently retains one main hall, three ancient ginkgo trees, and several stone stelae. It is situated at No. 37 Fuxinqiao and now belongs to the Nanjing Xuanwu District Housing Authority. In 1992, it was designated as a Nanjing Cultural Relics Protection Unit. The main hall faces west and is oriented east-west, measuring 24 meters in length from north to south and 18 meters in width from east to west. It has five bays and extends four rooms in depth. The walls are constructed with large, polished city bricks. It features a flush-gable roof with upturned corners, and the ridge ends are adorned with ornamental beasts. The column bases are ornate, with carvings in relief across the shoulder, body, and base sections. The patterns include auspicious motifs such as the Eight Trigrams, ruyi (scepters), square victory symbols, dragons and phoenixes, floral designs, as well as homophonic symbols for good fortune (bat), prosperity (deer), and longevity (animal), which are rare in most temples. Within the side rooms is the "Xianglin Temple Property Stele," which documents an act of donation by Cao Xueqin’s grandfather, who granted 420 mu of incense land.