Jiangdu Kaiyuan Temple

Jiangdu Kaiyuan Temple

Jiangdu Kaiyuan Temple is a national AAA-level tourist attraction and a cultural heritage site.

Kaiyuan Temple was originally located about 200 meters west of Yongji Bridge in Daqiao Town, Jiangdu. It was built in the second year of the Kaiyuan era during the Tang Dynasty (714), from which it gets its name.

The temple’s name was inscribed by the great calligrapher Li Yong. The temple complex included a mountain gate, the Mahavira Hall, the Guanyin Pavilion, the South Tower, and more — all grand, majestic, and solemn in appearance. Renowned poets such as Liu Changqing, Lu Lun, and Luo Yin once visited and composed poems there. In the 18th year of the Shunzhi reign in the Qing Dynasty (1661), the temple was relocated to Sanfeng Village in the west of the town, retaining its original appearance. It was destroyed in 1958.

Starting in 1994, reconstruction began on structures such as the mountain gate, the Three Saints Hall, the guest hall, and the dining hall. The main structure, the Mahavira Hall, was designed by the Yangzhou Architectural Design Institute. The colorful paintings inside were overseen by the renowned Chinese gilding master Mr. Ma Tian from the Palace Museum in Beijing. The Mahavira Hall features a hip-and-gable roof with upturned eaves, standing tall and imposing. The temple enshrines a large statue of Sakyamuni Buddha, which is grand and awe-inspiring in presence. The entire Mahavira Hall is exquisitely constructed and richly adorned, showcasing the craftsmanship of Yangzhou’s “contemporary Lu Ban,” and is considered a masterpiece of Jiangdu architecture. The Mahavira Hall was completed in 2000, and an elaborate consecration ceremony was held that same year, attended by eminent monks and distinguished guests from home and abroad, marking an unprecedented grand occasion. Zhao Puchu, President of the Buddhist Association of China, gifted a calligraphy work, while Master Mingshan inscribed the temple plaque, and Master Xuesong composed the couplet: “The Holy Teaching Came Eastward, the Golden Figure Responded to the Dream; Kaiyuan Was Rebuilt Under Enlightened Policy.”

Kaiyuan Temple has a long history, evidenced by the two thousand-year-old ginkgo trees in front of the Mahavira Hall. The temple is filled with the sounds of Buddhist chants, carved beams and painted rafters, numerous Buddha statues, and grand, uniquely shaped large-scale colored sculptures. The “Cause and Effect Hall” on the west side of the temple is considered a highlight among temples in Yangzhou, with vivid colored sculptures encouraging future generations to cultivate virtue and do good. The temple houses two large bells, which are rung daily according to the tradition of “morning bells and evening drums,” and also during the annual New Year bell-ringing ceremony.

Kaiyuan Temple is situated by the Xingbei Lake, where the shimmering lake and temple shadows create a poetic and picturesque scene. Male and female ginkgo trees are planted behind the temple, their lush canopies forming a typical riverside pastoral temple setting. On the 18th of May each year during the temple fair, Kaiyuan Temple is filled with incense and throngs of worshippers, making it a major attraction in Jiangdu’s religious tourism culture.

In recent years, Daqiao Town has incorporated the development of Kaiyuan Temple into its key plans for riverside development, constructing the tallest building along the river, the “Ten Thousand Buddhas Pagoda,” along with auxiliary halls and facilities. While vigorously developing its industrial economy, the town has also promoted coordinated development of tourism, actively developing Kaiyuan Temple as a tourist attraction and integrating it into the riverside development project. The temple has been continuously expanded and now covers an area of 90 acres, receiving around 900,000 visitors annually. An investment of 32 million yuan was made to build the “Ten Thousand Buddhas Pagoda,” which stands 98 meters tall with nine floors, adding to the solemn magnificence of the ancient temple. In 2013, Announcement No. 11 issued by the Jiangsu Provincial Tourism Attraction Quality Rating Committee listed Kaiyuan Temple in Daqiao Town, approving it as a national AAA-level tourist attraction — the first in the district to receive this designation.

The total area of Kaiyuan Temple is 15,000 square meters.