Qixia Temple

Qixia Temple

Qixia Temple is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction and a cultural heritage site.

During the Taishi era (465–471) of the Liu Song Dynasty in the Southern Dynasties, the monk Ming Sengshao (also known as Qixia) built a hut on She Mountain, "living apart from worldly affairs," and was on friendly terms with the monk Zhidu, sharing a master-disciple bond. In the seventh year of the Yongming era (489) of the Southern Qi Dynasty, Ming Sengshao donated his residence to establish the "Qixia Monastery," inviting the monk Zhidu to preside over it. This marked the origin of Qixia Temple.

In the early Tang Dynasty, Qixia Temple was expanded and renamed Gongde Temple, with 49 additional halls added, described as having "extensive pavilions and magnificent palaces." Along with Lingyan Temple in Changqing, Shandong, Yuquan Temple in Jingzhou, Hubei, and Guoqing Temple in Tiantai, Zhejiang, it was known as one of the Four Great Monastic Complexes, representing the golden age of Qixia Temple. During the Shangyuan era (674–676) of Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Gongde Temple was renamed Yinjun Qixia Temple. During the reign of Emperor Wuzong, who suppressed Buddhism, the temple was abolished. It was rebuilt again in the fifth year of the Dazhong era (851 AD) under Emperor Xuanzong. During the Southern Tang Dynasty, Gao Yue built the Relic Stone Pagoda and renovated Qixia Temple, renaming it Miaoyin Temple. In the fifth year of the Taiping Xingguo era (980 AD) of the Northern Song Dynasty, it was renamed Puyun Temple. In the fourth year of the Jingde era (1007 AD) of Emperor Zhenzong, it was renamed Qixia Chan Temple. In the eighth year of the Yuanyou era (1093 AD) of Emperor Zhezong, it was called Yanyin Temple Chongbao Chan Monastery, also known as Jingde Qixia Temple or Huxue Temple (as Qixia Mountain was also called Huxue Mountain). It was not until the 25th year of the Hongwu era (1392 AD) in the early Ming Dynasty that the name Qixia Temple was restored.

Aside from political suppression of Buddhism, Qixia Temple’s location on Qixia Mountain, which stands steeply along the river and forms a strategic military stronghold at the edge of the ancient Chu region, made it a fiercely contested site throughout history. Since its establishment, the temple has endured numerous large-scale battles, leading to repeated destruction and reconstruction.

After enduring a thousand years of turmoil, Qixia Temple suffered severe damage during the Cultural Revolution. Starting in 1980, the government undertook extensive renovations of this ancient millennium-old temple, restoring Qixia Temple to an unprecedented scale and renown. Today, in front of the temple are the Rainbow Mirror and Crescent Pond, with the Ming Zhengjun Stele on the right and the Zhao Puchu Monument Pavilion commemorating the temple’s reconstruction on the left. Inside the temple are the Maitreya Hall, Vairocana Treasure Hall, Abbot’s Quarters, Dharma Hall, Scripture Repository, Jianzhen Memorial Hall, Ancestral Hall, Zongyong Memorial Hall, Thousand Buddha Vegetarian Restaurant, and more. The ancient architecture of Qixia Temple is built along the mountain slope, tier upon tier, with grand halls and pavilions. The West Xiecuilou Tower faces the East Peak, offering picturesque views from its railing. [Vairocana Treasure Hall]

Entering Qixia Temple and exiting the Maitreya Hall, one passes through a square courtyard and ascends the steps to reach the spacious Vairocana Treasure Hall, which is majestic and richly adorned. At the center of the hall is enshrined a Vairocana Buddha statue, approximately 5 meters tall, reaching 8.6 meters including the Sumeru pedestal, covered in gold leaf, solemn and dignified. On either side stand the heavenly kings Brahma and Indra, members of the "Eight Divisions of Deities and Dragons" and guardian deities in Buddhism. The side halls feature over twenty wooden statues of the Twenty Devas, all over 2 meters tall, also members of the "Eight Divisions," each exquisitely gilded, vividly crafted, with diverse expressions and radiant finishes. Behind the Vairocana Buddha is a group sculpture of the Guanyin of the Island, depicting the Thirty-Two Manifestations of Guanyin saving sentient beings, each form unique and serene. This is the most lively group sculpture in the temple. The island includes dozens of figures, with the massive South Sea Guanyin Bodhisattva at the center, flanked by the boy Sudhana and the dragon girl. On either side of the front of the hall are a large bell and a Dharma drum. At the back of the hall are two elaborately carved and gilded grand Buddhist shrines, originally relics from the Qing Dynasty’s Forbidden City in Beijing, brought to Qixia Temple in 1979. The shrines house a stone-carved Guanyin statue and an Amitabha Buddha statue. The head of the stone Amitabha Buddha is an old relic from the temple, while the body was recreated in plaster and aged by Mr. Zhang Xiangshui of the Nanjing Academy of Arts based on Northern Dynasties stone carvings. The stone Buddha’s long, broad face may be a remnant of the Amitayus Buddha statue possibly created by Xiao Hong, the Prince of Linchuan from the Liang Dynasty. The stone Guanyin statue has a smaller head and may be from the Tang Dynasty.

[Scripture Repository]

Entering from the Abbot’s Quarters and ascending further, you reach the Scripture Repository, one of the most renowned in China, situated at the highest point of the temple. Below is the Dharma Hall, also called the Lion Throne, where the abbot resides and conducts teachings. Behind the throne hangs a portrait symbolizing Shakyamuni preaching, flanked by a couplet written by Zhao Puchu in 1979 during the temple’s renovation: “Founded in the Southern Dynasties, recalling the days when floral rain fell six times as the Venerable Lang expounded the Three Treatises; returned to the homeland, rejoicing as sea and sky unite to trace the footsteps of Master Jianzhen across a thousand years.” In front of the throne is a podium with a small Buddha statue symbolizing the Buddhas who listened to the teachings, beneath which is an incense table and seating for listeners. The upper floor houses scriptures. At the center of the room is a shrine with a jade Buddha of Shakyamuni, intricately carved from a single piece of white jade, distinctly unique, and a gift from Burmese monks. The room’s sides contain neatly arranged scripture cabinets, storing over 8,000 volumes of Buddhist scriptures categorized into Sutras, Vinaya, and Abhidharma, organized by the Thousand Character Classic sequence. Among them, the most precious is the "Palm-Leaf Scripture," inscribed with Sanskrit on palm leaves, believed to have been brought back by Xuanzang from his journey to the West. Due to its antiquity, it is extremely valuable. There is also a "blood-written" scripture, penned by a female devotee in the late Qing Dynasty using her own blood.

[Jade Buddha Hall]

The Jade Buddha Hall was rebuilt in 1987, with its plaque inscribed in black with gold characters by Zhao Puchu. At the center of the hall sits a 60-inch (1.524-meter) jade Buddha in the lotus position, displayed in a glass case, donated by Master Hsing Yun of Fo Guang Shan. Flanking the jade Buddha are the Medicine Buddha and Amitabha Buddha. On the left wall inside the entrance hang 19 paintings, including "The Buddha Attaining Enlightenment and Preaching in Deer Park—from Ordaining the Five Monks to Nirvana," and a "Map of the Four Sacred Sites" (the Buddha’s birthplace, the place of enlightenment, the first sermon, and nirvana). On the right wall hang 19 paintings of "The Eight Great Events in the Life of Shakyamuni Buddha," donated by the Hsi Lai Temple in Los Angeles, USA.

[Zongyong Memorial Hall]

The Zongyong Memorial Hall is adjacent to the "Crossing-the-Sea Masters Hall." At its center is a portrait of Zongyong, accompanied by a couplet: "Preaching the Three Treatises, Sealing the Mind with the Three Refuges."

The hall’s left and right walls display portraits of four eminent monks of Qixia Temple: Ruoshun, Jiran, Fanglian, and Qingquan. The hall also exhibits calligraphy inscriptions dedicated to Zongyong by Weng Tonghe and Zhang Taiyan, as well as hand-drawn scrolls by Zongyong and other historical materials. The current Qixia Temple was restored based on its foundation from the Republican era.

As Zongyong’s dharma descendant Mingchang said, "Since the Republican era, among all eminent monks honored by the nation, you are the only one."

[Jianzhen Memorial Hall]

The Jianzhen Memorial Hall was established in 1963 to commemorate the Tang Dynasty monk Jianzhen (688–763).

Historical records state that the eminent Tang monk Jianzhen, on his fifth attempt to sail to Japan in 748, lost his way due to navigational errors and drifted to Hainan Island. On his return north, he passed through Jiangning (now Nanjing) in 751, where his disciple Lingyou brought him to Qixia Temple. He stayed for three days before returning to Yangzhou’s Daming Temple.

The central shrine in the Jianzhen Memorial Hall houses a thousand-layer dry-lacquer statue of Jianzhen in monastic robes, personally crafted by Elder Morimoto Koshun, the 81st abbot of Nara’s Tōshōdai-ji Temple in Japan. It was gifted to Qixia Temple in 1963 on the 1,200th anniversary of Jianzhen’s passing, jointly presented by Japan’s cultural and Buddhist communities.

The shrine housing the seated Jianzhen is uniquely designed, modeled after Yangzhou’s Daming Temple, with a backdrop of raging waves, symbolizing Jianzhen’s fearless dedication to promoting Sino-Japanese cultural exchange.

The memorial hall also displays literature on Jianzhen’s life, gifts from foreign guests, including "The Sixth Voyage of Jianzhen" and "The Jianzhen Memorial Collection" donated by Japanese friends.

[Qixia Mountain Branch of the Buddhist Academy of China]

The Qixia Mountain Branch of the Buddhist Academy of China is one of China’s eight key religious institutions. Officially enrolling students nationwide in 1984, it was co-headed by Zhao Puchu as president and Master Mingshan as the first vice president. The branch has since grown considerably, with complete teaching and living facilities including classrooms, dining halls, dormitories, and kitchens. Its library and reading rooms hold a growing collection of Buddhist texts, cultural books, and research works, complemented by the over 8,000 volumes of Sutras, Vinaya, and Abhidharma in the Qixia Scripture Repository, offering monks access to a vast ocean of knowledge. The branch boasts a strong faculty, with over ten full-time teachers and regular lectures by resident masters such as Mingshan, Yuanzhan, Xuefan, Yangzhen, and Jihui, as well as academic reports by Zhao Puchu and Liu Darong. Professors and teachers from other institutions are often invited as well. In recent years, young graduates from other Buddhist colleges have joined the faculty, bringing fresh energy.

The academy places great emphasis on the cultural and ethical qualities of its monks. Admission requires rigorous screening and exams, with top candidates selected. Guided by the principles of "academy as monastery, monastery as academy, and integrated study and practice," monks are encouraged to maintain strict monastic discipline, participate in temple ceremonies and ordination rites, uphold their faith, and study diligently. Beyond specialized courses like chanting, Buddhist fundamentals, monastic knowledge, precepts, meditation, the Three Discourses, the Combined Two Sessions, scripture readings, and Buddhist history, students also systematically study politics, languages, history, geography, and foreign languages.

To date, the Qixia Mountain Branch has trained over 350 monks, with more than 100 admitted to the Buddhist Academy of China for further studies. Some have pursued doctoral or master’s degrees abroad, while others serve as key personnel at temples. The academy has also organized multiple international Buddhist events, contributing significantly to global Buddhism. In late 1996 and early 1997, commissioned by China’s Religious Affairs Bureau and Buddhist Association, the academy sent a team of 12 monks led by Longxiang and Lihai to Myanmar to escort the Buddha’s tooth relic. Amid local unrest and a bomb threat, the team risked their lives to protect the relic, ensuring its safety and elevating the global reputation of Chinese Buddhism.

[Thousand Buddha Vegetarian Restaurant]

The Thousand Buddha Vegetarian Restaurant, newly built in 1994, is located on the left side of the ancient Qixia Temple and is a modern-standard vegetarian eatery.

Vegetarian cuisine, a unique subset of Chinese culinary traditions, has a long history. The ancient character "素" originally meant white, later evolving to refer to food without meat or alcohol. Depending on its audience, vegetarian food is divided into three styles: temple vegetarian, imperial vegetarian, and folk vegetarian. Reflecting the monastic emphasis on "ascetic practice," this restaurant serves temple-style vegetarian cuisine.

Monastic vegetarian cuisine, also known as "Shicai," is prepared in kitchens called "Xiangji Kitchens," which derive their name from the "Fragrant Accumulation Buddha and Fragrant Rice." The vegetarian dishes here primarily use ingredients such as bean products, wheat gluten, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, and fresh seasonal vegetables. Cooked with vegetable oil, these dishes are light, pure, varied in presentation, meticulously prepared, and highly nutritious. They are known for their health-promoting and therapeutic properties. Especially notable are some imitation meat dishes—entirely plant-based but crafted to resemble and taste similar to meat dishes, often indistinguishable from their animal-based counterparts. For example, "Sweet and Sour Yellow Croaker" is made mainly from mashed potatoes and tofu skin, supplemented with shiitake mushrooms, cabbage, and winter bamboo shoots. Prepared through stuffing, stir-frying, and deep-frying, it not only looks remarkably like real yellow croaker but also has a delicious sweet and sour flavor, rivaling its meat version, and can be regarded as a true work of art among vegetarian dishes.

Currently, Qiānfó Zhāi Vegetarian Restaurant offers over 40 varieties. Cold dishes include vegetarian ham, vegetarian roast chicken, boiled shredded tofu, five-spice baked gluten, shredded roasted meat, cashews, and cold mixed wood ear fungus. Hot dishes include stir-fried kidney flowers, stir-fried shrimp, stir-fried squid, stir-fried fish slices, Golden Treasures, Four Treasures of China, Silver Sprouts with Eel Strips, Sweet and Sour Ribs, Mushroom Stew, and Red-cooked Pigskin. These uniquely flavored and endlessly delightful delicacies are affordably priced and have earned high praise from both devotees and tourists. In addition, the restaurant can also arrange full-course vegetarian banquets of varying scales to meet the needs of guests at all levels.

[Millennium Bell Tower]

The Millennium Bell Tower is located southeast of the "Rainbow Mirror Lake" and was designed by Professor Yang Dean from Southeast University. The tower stands 16 meters tall, featuring a two-story, double-eaved, ancient-style structure supported by 36 reinforced concrete pillars. On the second floor hangs a large bronze bell cast by Chenguang Group. This bell has a diameter of 2.2 meters, a height of 3.2 meters, and weighs 6 tons. The first floor houses a Sakyamuni Buddha statue from Taiwan, valued at 200,000 yuan. This tower was completed in December 1999 to welcome the arrival of the 21st century.

[Qīngquán Bone Pagoda]

Qīngquán was the abbot of Jinshan Jiangtian Temple. Belonging to the Qīxīa school of Buddhism, which branched off from Jinshan, he had profound insight into the nature of mind. Before his passing, he left instructions to be buried at Qīxīa, serving as a spiritual legacy to the disciples of both the Jin and Qī schools. His bone pagoda is located on the right side of the hill behind the Scripture Depository Building of Qīxīa Temple.

[Zōngyǎng Bone Pagoda]

Zōngyǎng Bone Pagoda, also known as the Wumu Shan Seng Zōngyǎng Pagoda, is situated on the right side of the central ridge of the mid-peak behind the temple. In December 1936, the Nationalist Government officially commended Zōngyǎng’s life and deeds, allocating 5,000 yuan to Dai Chuánxián and Zhāng for the construction of the pagoda and stele in his honor. The renowned scholar Zhāng Tàiyán personally wrote the “Inscription on the Pagoda of Master Yìnlèng of Qīxīa Temple.”

[The Three Treatise School and the Foundational Temple Qīxīa Temple]

The Three Treatise School is one of the earliest sects in the history of Chinese Buddhism. It derives its name from its focus on the study of Nāgārjuna’s Madhyamaka-kārikā (中论), Śataśāstra (十二门论), and Āryadeva’s Saṃdhinirmocana-sūtra (百论). After these three treatises were translated by Kumārajīva during the Later Qin dynasty, they were passed down through teacher-disciple lineages. Scholars gathered in large numbers, including Sēnglǎng and Sēngquán of the Liu Song and Liang dynasties, Fǎlǎng of the Chen dynasty, and Jízàng of the Sui dynasty, who brought the school to its zenith. According to Dong Ping in Issue 23 of the Journal of the Minnan Buddhist College: "Jízàng’s teachings were received from Xìnghuáng Fǎlǎng, while Fǎlǎng’s teachings originated from Sēngquán. Sēngquán resided at Zhǐguān Temple on Shèshān Mountain in Jīnlíng, where he specialized in Prajñāpāramitā and focused on Madhyamaka, gaining fame in his time. The seventh volume of the Continued Biographies of Eminent Monks states: 'Sēngquán of Zhǐguān Temple on Shèshān Mountain was like a vast ocean of Mahayana teachings, with a reputation that spread far and wide.' The same volume also notes: 'Among Sēngquán’s disciples, four monks were particularly renowned: Fǎlǎng, Zhìbiàn, Huìyǒng, and Huìbù, famously known as the ‘Four Friends of Sēngquán.’' Thanks to the vigorous promotion by Sēngquán and the ‘Four Friends,’ and their collective efforts in reviving the study of the Three Treatises, Shèshān Qīxīa Temple became the center of Three Treatise studies in southern China.

According to Jízàng, Sēnglǎng was indeed a crucial figure in the transmission history of the Three Treatise School in China. As Mr. Tāng Yǒngtōng stated: "During the Qi and Liang dynasties, there were indeed scholars of the Prajñāpāramitā and Three Treatises, but there were few who truly excelled, and the teachings did not spread widely. The dissemination of this school depended entirely on the monks of Shèshān. Sēnglǎng of Shèshān was the first to establish the Three Treatises as the core of his teaching. He passed them on to Sēngquán, who in turn transmitted them to Xìnghuáng Fǎlǎng. During the Chen dynasty, Fǎlǎng was highly revered, with many disciples, among whom Jízàng of the Sui dynasty helped revive the teachings of the Three Treatises across China."

The Shèshān Three Treatise teachings brought south by Sēnglǎng only began to exert a significant influence within the Buddhist scholarly community during the time of Xìnghuáng Fǎlǎng. This school was later transmitted to Japan and Korea and continues to be practiced to this day. Since the Three Treatise School was promoted and flourished under Qīxīa Temple on Shèshān, it is referred to as the ancestral home of the Three Treatise School both domestically and internationally. It enjoys high prestige in Japan, Korea, and all regions where the Three Treatise School is studied. The late President of the Buddhist Association of China, Zhao Pǔchū, when inscribing a couplet for the Scripture Depository Building of Qīxīa Temple, wrote:

"The founding traces back to the Southern Dynasties; in those days, amidst the floral rain, Master Lǎng lectured on the Three Treatises. The dharma returns to the homeland; today, under the boundless sea and sky, Master Yì’s legacy shines through the ages." This highlights the propagation of the Three Treatises by Sēnglǎng of Shèshān during the Southern Dynasties.

[Buddhist Activities]

With the restoration of Qīxīa Temple to its former glory and its growing fame, eminent monks such as Míngshān and Zhēncí successively served as abbots, further revitalizing its reputation. Devotees from the province, city, and across the nation (including Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and overseas) flock to Qīxīa Temple to participate in Buddhist ceremonies. In recent years, the temple has conducted 300 to 400 such ceremonies annually. The main types of ceremonies include Extended Life Universal Blessings, Rebirth Universal Blessings; Single Repentance Rituals, Three Great Yaksha Repentance Rituals, Five Great Yaksha Repentance Rituals, Seven Great Yaksha Repentance Rituals, and Nine Great Yaksha Repentance Rituals; chanting of the Kṣitigarbha Sutra, Diamond Sutra, Medicine Buddha Sutra, and Three Periods of Mindfulness; Six Scriptures and Six Buddhas, Medicine Buddha Repentance, Samadhi Water Repentance, Kṣitigarbha Repentance, and fifteen other types. The largest-scale ceremony at Qīxīa Temple is the grand dual-benefit Water-Land Dharma Assembly, involving 82 monks chanting scriptures for seven days. The most spectacular part of the Water-Land Assembly is the final day’s “Sending Off the Saints,” attended by over 160 monks. A general leads the procession, preceded by paper boats, paper horses, and gongs clearing the way; followed by guide flags, lanterns, incense lamps, incense burners, and parasols, then twenty-four banners, twenty-four incense lamps, twenty-four trays, and a variety of musical instruments playing. The procession concludes with three highly respected senior monks—the presiding master, the main chanter, and the assistant chanter—followed by the patrons of the ceremony. The “Sending Off the Saints” parade stretches approximately 200 meters, circling the temple while chanting “Namo Amitabha.” Amid the sound of firecrackers, incense smoke, and burning paper boats and candles, the ceremony concludes.

Address: No. 84, Qīxīa Street, Qīxīa District, Nanjing

Type: Temple & Ancient Pagoda

Rating: AAAA

Recommended Visit Duration: 1–2 hours

Phone: 025-85761831

Official Website: http://www.njqixiasi.com/

Opening Hours:

7:00-17:00

Ticket Information:

Door Price: 10.0 RMB

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units