Changlu Chongfu Chan Temple

Changlu Chongfu Chan Temple

Changlu Chongfu Chan Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

The ancient Changlu Chongfu Chan Temple in Changlu Town was referred to simply as Changlu Temple. According to the Guangxu-era “Liuhe County Annals,” which cites the Chenghua County Annals, the temple was built before March of the eighth year of the Putong era (527 AD) during the Liang Dynasty of the Southern Dynasties, and was rebuilt twice—once during the Tian Sheng era of the Northern Song Dynasty and again during the Chunxi era of the Southern Song Dynasty. “In the twelfth year of Chunxi, due to the collapse of the riverbank, it was relocated to a sandy bend three li east of Cuikou Mountain.” The temple featured a grand structure and massive scale, giving rise to the saying “one could ride a horse out of the mountain gate,” making it the largest ancient temple in Liuhe and one of the renowned Buddhist temples of the Southern Dynasties period. Today, only the main hall of the ancient Changlu Temple remains, which has been repurposed as an exhibition room for the history of Changlu Middle School. In 1983, it was designated by the municipal government as a cultural relic protection unit of Nanjing.

The ancient Changlu Temple is located in Changlu Town, Liuhe District, Nanjing City, and was first built during the Putong era (520–526 AD) of Emperor Wu of Liang, Xiao Yan, of the Southern Dynasties. At that time, there were many Buddhist temples in Jiankang. The late Tang poet Du Mu wrote in his quatrain “Spring in Jiangnan”: “Orioles sing for miles amid red blooms and green trees; / By waterside villages and hills are wine-shop signs. / Of the Southern Dynasties’ four hundred eighty temples / How many towers and terraces in misty rain!” This line highlights the prosperity of Buddhism during the Southern Dynasties. Changlu Temple was one of the famous temples among the “four hundred eighty temples” of that time, standing in distant correspondence with Qixia Temple across the river.

Legend has it that Emperor Wu of Liang built this temple to give thanks to the Buddha for the recovery of his daughter from a serious illness. At the time, Buddhism was flourishing, and the number of temples increased significantly. Changlu Temple and Qixia Temple were two major temples on opposite sides of the river. In terms of Buddhist sects, Changlu Temple belonged to the “Chan (Zen) Sect.” It is said that during the Putong era, the South Indian monk Bodhidharma came to Guangzhou to spread Chan teachings, which later came to the attention of Emperor Wu. In the eighth month of the eighth year of Putong (527 AD), he was invited to Jiankang. However, Bodhidharma and Emperor Wu “found little common ground in their discussions,” so Bodhidharma “crossed the river on a reed” and arrived at Changlu Temple north of the river. Changlu Temple had long been one of the well-known temples of the Chan Sect.

Over the centuries, Changlu Temple experienced many ups and downs amid natural disasters and human turmoil. Historical records indicate that the original site of the temple was very close to the riverbank, but the Yangtze River course in this section was unstable. The riverbanks frequently collapsed, leading to ongoing damage to the temple complex. According to the “Liuhe County Annals,” reconstruction efforts were carried out on a large scale in the early Tian Sheng era of the Northern Song Dynasty. Later, the riverbank continued to recede, and by the early Chunxi era of the Southern Song Dynasty, the temple was eventually submerged by the river. In the twelfth year of Chunxi (1185 AD), the temple site was “relocated to a sandy bend east of Cuikou Mountain” (the current location) and rebuilt. The newly built temple was larger and more magnificent than the old one. According to the county annals, it included halls such as the Three Treasures Hall, the Bodhidharma Ancestor Hall, the Vajra Hall, the Sacred Texts and Secret Treasury Pavilion, the One Reed Hall, the Standing Snow Hall, the Direct Pointing Hall, and the Buddha-Making Hall. Outside the temple gate, there were also garden-style structures such as the Reed River Pavilion, the Stone Willow Pavilion, and the Reunion Gate. A giant bronze bell weighing over ten thousand jin (approximately 5 metric tons) was cast in imitation of the old temple’s bell and hung in the bell tower.

At its peak, Changlu Temple was enormous in scale, as the folk saying goes: “The front gate leads to the Vajra Hall, and the back gate leads to Liuhe County.” Due to its fame, the temple attracted countless literati and poets who came to visit, compose poetry, or write essays. Notable figures from the Tang Dynasty such as Luo Binwang, Li Bai, Wei Yingwu, Liu Changqing, Meng Jiao, and Wen Tingyun, from the Song Dynasty such as Wang Anshi, Su Dongpo, and Qin Guan, and from the Ming Dynasty such as Li Dongyang, Wang Shouren, and Wang Shizhen all visited the temple out of admiration.

Changlu Temple has now become a provincial-level intangible cultural heritage of Jiangsu Province. It has been relocated to Taizi Mountain for reconstruction.

Scenic area address: Inside Taizi Mountain Park, Liuhe District, Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province

Transportation: Within Nanjing, take bus routes 645, Dachang Route 3, etc., and get off at Taizi Mountain Park; or take bus routes 618, 647, D3, Liunan Line, etc., and get off at Xiaomen Station.