Jieshou Huguo Temple

Jieshou Huguo Temple

Jieshou Huguo Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Jieshou Huguo Temple is located on the east side of Shiqiao Street in Jieshou Town, Gaoyou City. During the Qing Dynasty, it was one of the eight famous temples in Gaoyou and is now a municipal cultural relics protection unit. Huguo Temple was first built in the early Northern Song Dynasty as a small three-room shrine known as Guan Di Temple. It experienced several periods of decline and restoration. During the Ming Dynasty, the eunuch Wei Zhongxian, who wielded immense power and acted tyrannically, had the temple temporarily converted into the Wei Gong Ancestral Shrine. After Wei Zhongxian was executed, it reverted back to being Guan Di Temple. In the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty, the abbot Jie Ru oversaw the renovation of the temple halls. A stone stele inscribed with “Reconstructed in the Second Month of the Kangxi Jiawu Year” still stands as evidence. In the ninth year of the Qianlong reign, a local gentleman named He Xiangyi, having lost his wife in middle age and his son in old age, converted to Buddhism. He became a disciple of the monk Zhihui from Gaoyou Tianwang Temple, taking the Dharma name Guangcheng, and served as the abbot of Huguo Temple. Monk Guangcheng donated over 200 acres of land as temple property and implemented a dual focus on farming and Zen practice, engaging in alms-seeking while managing temple affairs. Over more than ten years, by the 24th year of Qianlong’s reign, he had built a four-courtyard temple complex consisting of over 100 rooms. The main gate faced west: the first courtyard housed the Heavenly King Hall, the second the Guan Yu Hall, the third the Mahavira Hall, and the fourth the Dharma Hall and Abbot’s Quarters. The side halls included a Zen Hall, a Buddha Recitation Hall, and a Guest Hall, with the rear garden planted abundantly with pines and bamboos. At that time, the temple had considerable scale, with majestic halls and a solemn atmosphere. Monk Guangcheng renamed the temple to “Kuoguo Temple” (Expanded Nation Temple), and from then on, it was successively presided over by many eminent monks. These monks upheld and practiced the creed “Devoting this sincere heart to the Buddha realm is the true way to repay the Buddha’s grace.” Deeply versed in monastic discipline, they practiced asceticism to raise funds, promoted Zen teachings, and were highly praised by both monastics and lay devotees in the Buddhist community.

In 1986, after enduring many hardships, Huguo Temple turned a new page. The remaining three main halls, five rear halls, and five side rooms were renovated. The following year, the temple officially reopened and held the consecration ceremony for the statue of Sakyamuni Buddha. More than 14,000 monks, nuns, and devotees from near and far attended the ceremony. On that day, bells and drums rang out, incense filled the air, and the devout knelt in prayer, meditating with folded hands—a scene of great spiritual fervor. Today, the abbot of Huguo Temple is Master Wuyuan, also known as Yunling, aged 75. Yunling received Dharma transmission from the temple’s late abbot Daosou in March 1945. He studied the Vinaya tradition at a Buddhist college for four years and later traveled to visit renowned mountains and major temples. After becoming abbot of Huguo Temple, Master Yunling deeply appreciated the support of the Party’s religious policies, which nurtured growth, extended the Dharma’s influence, and brought blessings to all beings. Thus, he remained committed to patriotism and love of the Dharma, aspired to accumulate merit, worked diligently to establish the temple, raised funds from all directions, and managed the temple through hardship. He oversaw the creation of a complete set of Buddha statues, along with complete sets of ritual instruments such as those used on Haimen Buddhist Island, banners, canopies, temple bells, and wooden fish. Every year, starting from the first day of the second lunar month, a seven-day Lotus Sutra ceremony is held, attracting considerable incense offerings.

Since the 1990s, he has served as vice preceptor in the ordination ceremonies of major temples such as Jiuhua Mountain in Anhui, Longchang Vinaya Temple on Baohua Mountain in Nanjing, Tianning Temple in Changzhou, and Longxing Temple in Fengyang County. He has also been invited by overseas Buddhist communities to engage in religious and cultural exchanges in Japan, Singapore, and Malaysia. Currently, as a council member of the Gaoyou Buddhist Association, he has ordained over 50,000 monks across Mainland China and Southeast Asia, enjoying growing prestige. In line with the town government’s unified plan to develop tourism under the vision of “visiting a thousand-year-old ancient temple,” and with strong support from devotees, he has overseen the construction of a new Heavenly King Hall, the renovation of the Mahavira Hall, and the restoration of Huguo Temple’s halls to promote the radiance of the Great Buddha. Recently, he composed a poem: “In the sacred realm, the Dharma shines anew; Amid drifting leaves, we cross confusion’s ford. Who truly comprehends this devout worship? With a dustless heart, spring fills the eyes.” This verse reflects his aspiration to promote the Dharma and bring benefits to the people.