Ruins of Wanfu Temple (Stele Forest of Eminent Monks)

Ruins of Wanfu Temple (Stele Forest of Eminent Monks)

The Ruins of Wanfu Temple (Stele Forest of Eminent Monks) is a cultural relic protection unit of Nanjing City.

The ruins of Wanfu Temple are now located on Xiaomaofeng Peak in the Zhongshan Scenic Area of Xuanwu District, Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province. They lie northeast of the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum’s Dome, northwest of the Scripture Depository, southeast of Zhongmayao, and west of Yongmulu.

The temple originally had a mountain gate, the Hall of Three Maos, the Guanyin Hall, and the Hall of Emperor Wu, as well as a Stele Forest of Eminent Monks nearby.

In 1929, after the state funeral of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the State Funeral Committee renovated Wanfu Temple and converted it into the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, displaying various relics from the funeral ceremony.

During the War of Resistance against Japan, Wanfu Temple was destroyed, and the components of the eminent monks’ stupas were scattered throughout the woods.

In July 1993, the Zhongshan Mausoleum Management Office collected, repaired, and restored the scattered stupa components, and re-erected four stupas next to the ruins of Wanfu Temple.

On March 20, 2012, the “Ruins of Wanfu Temple (Stele Forest of Eminent Monks)” was designated as part of the fourth group of Nanjing Municipal Cultural Relic Protection Units by the Nanjing Municipal People’s Government.