Yangzhou Iron Buddha Temple

Yangzhou Iron Buddha Temple

The Yangzhou Iron Buddha Temple is a Yangzhou municipal-level cultural heritage site.

Iron Buddha Temple

It is now a municipal-level cultural heritage site, located in Shetian Group, Buyang Village, Chengbei Township, in the urban area of Yangzhou. It is said to have originally been the residence of Yang Xingmi from the Five Dynasties period. Yang Xingmi (852–905), a native of Hefei in Luzhou (present-day Hefei, Anhui), was the founder of the Wu Kingdom during the Five Dynasties. Later, his residence was converted into a temple. During the Jianlong era of the Song Dynasty (960–963), an iron Buddha was cast at the temple, giving it its current name. The temple was destroyed in the third year of the Xianfeng reign during the Qing Dynasty and was partially rebuilt during the Tongzhi reign but did not regain its former appearance. Today, only the rear hall with three rooms and five monk’s quarters in the eastern part remain, covering an area of about 200 square meters. The rear hall features a single-eave flush-gable roof with nine purlins and was renovated in 1989. A stone stele inscribed with “The Deeds of Monk Guangcan” is embedded in the eastern wall of the hall.

Further Reading:

· The First to Third Batches of Municipal-Level Cultural Heritage Sites in Yangzhou