Zhongning Temple

Zhongning Temple

Zhongning Temple is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Zhongning Temple

Era: Qing Dynasty

Address: No. 15 Changzheng Road, Weiyang District, Yangzhou City, Jiangsu Province

The temple was once ranked among the Eight Famous Temples of Yangzhou during the Qing Dynasty, alongside Tianning Temple, Jianlong Temple, Huiyin Temple, Fangjing Temple, Gaoyin Temple, Jinghui Temple, and Fuyuan Temple. It was first built in the 49th year of the Qianlong reign (1784). Since Zhongning Temple was constructed by imperial decree, its scale, design, and quality surpassed those of ordinary temples.

Historically, Zhongning Temple was not only grand in scale but also boasted exquisitely crafted Buddha statues. Its overall design strictly followed imperial standards. Li Dou noted that the Buddhist statuary craftsmanship of Yangzhou’s Eight Great Temples could rival that of Suzhou temples, “but the statuary at Zhongning Temple followed the methods used in the imperial workshops.” According to Qing architectural classifications, construction methods were divided into official and civilian categories, with the former further split into inner and outer workshops. The so-called “inner workshops” referred to palace and garden construction methods, while “outer workshops” referred to city wall and warehouse construction—both fell under imperial architectural standards.

In the third year of the Xianfeng reign (1853), when the Taiping Army captured Yangzhou, Zhongning Temple, which had stood for 70 years, met the same fate of destruction as most temples in the city. It was restored twice, in the 17th year of the Guangxu reign (1891) and the 27th year of the Guangxu reign (1901). During the Republican era, although Zhongning Temple was no longer as large as before, its status within the national Buddhist community remained high. In 1929, when the Chinese Buddhist Association held its general council, temples from Suzhou, Changzhou, Zhenjiang, Nanjing, Yangzhou, and Taizhou were represented. Among the six cities, Nanjing and Yangzhou had the highest number of participating temples—four each. The four temples representing Yangzhou were Tianning Temple, Zhongning Temple, Wanshou Temple, and Changsheng Temple.

Today, Zhongning Temple retains the Heavenly King Hall, the Main Hall, the Scripture Depository (rebuilt after a fire in 2005), and monastic quarters. It covers an area of nearly 10,000 square meters, with a construction area of about 2,000 square meters. The Main Hall features a hip-and-gable double-eave roof and spans five bays. The interior columns are made of ironwood, and the ceiling paintings are well-preserved. The hall also houses a plaque personally inscribed by Emperor Qianlong (Hongli) and the “Wanshou Zhongning Temple Stele” he composed.

On April 19, 1995, it was designated as a Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit, recognized as an ancient architecture and historical memorial structure.

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units