Wujiang Bao'en Temple

Wujiang Bao'en Temple

Wujiang Bao'en Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Bao'en Chan Temple is situated on Liuziwei, west of Tuncun Community. According to inscriptions within the temple (destroyed in 1959) and the Qing Dynasty's "Tuncun Annals" from the Shunzhi era, it was first built during the Chiwu period of the Eastern Wu Dynasty (238–250 AD), and was rebuilt in the second year of the Tang Dynasty’s Dazhong era (848 AD) by a royal descendant named Gu Wentong as an act of gratitude, covering an area of 120 mu. The entire temple complex consists of a mountain gate, the Stone Buddha Hall, and the Guanyin Hall, making it one of the Five Great Ancient Temples of the Jiangnan region (namely Jinshan Temple, Tianning Temple, Baique Temple, Lingyin Temple, and Bao'en Temple).

The temple’s “temple fields” spanned over 3,000 mu from the Tang to the early Ming Dynasties, either cultivated by monks themselves or leased to local farmers. To the west of the temple were small houses and a threshing ground, along with a stream called “Monks’ Creek,” where there was also a dock for boats. To the east stood an ancient bridge named Bao'en Bridge. The temple included two nunneries: the West Nunnery, called “Xixin Hall,” located in Yiwuwei west of town, which was named Shita Wei due to a stone pagoda in the area; and the East Nunnery, called “Jidu Hall,” situated in Fuwei (southeast of town), hence known as Monks’ Corner (now the site of the brick and tile factory).

Legend has it that the temple suffered destruction during the wars of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (909–960 AD). In the Qingli era of the Northern Song Dynasty (1041–1048 AD), Monk Xuan rebuilt the temple, which was then granted an Imperial Precept Platform by decree, with a temple foundation of 95 mu.

In the early Yongle era of the Ming Dynasty (1403–1424 AD), grain transport troops docked at Dongguan and harvested rapeseed from the temple’s fields. The monks caught them, and the troops falsely accused the monks of intercepting imperial grain supplies and reported them to the court. As a result, the temple was razed, its pagodas destroyed, and over 3,000 mu of permanent temple fields were confiscated by the government. The monks were taken to the capital but were later exonerated and released.

During the Xuande era, Monk Liang petitioned for the temple’s reconstruction, restoring it to 50 mu. Subsequent expansions occurred during the Zhengtong (1436–1449 AD) and Tianshun eras (1457–1464 AD), as well as in the 29th year of the Jiajing era (1550 AD). Further renovations took place twice in the 19th (1591) and 29th (1601) years of the Wanli era, and in the Chongzhen era (1628–1643 AD), over 100 mu of permanent temple fields were established.

In the 11th year of the Qing Shunzhi era (1654 AD), Monk Fushi added two side corridors. In the 8th year of the Qianlong era (1743 AD), Monk Zongkai rebuilt the Guanyin Hall, which still stood in the 5th year of the Guangxu era (1879 AD).

In the early Republic of China, Monk Shoudian preserved the foundation and rebuilt a five-bay brick-and-timber structure hall, known as the Guanyin Hall, restoring the Buddha statues to their original appearance. Later, the Japanese invasion caused severe damage. In the early years after liberation, the remaining relics of Bao'en Temple included: one Guanyin Hall, four stone-carved large Buddha statues (Shakyamuni, Manjushri, Maitreya, and Samantabhadra), one wooden-carved large Guanyin Bodhisattva statue, and three clay-sculpted large Buddha statues (Guanyin, Shancai, and Longnü). The stone beams and pillars of the hall, as well as the blue stone carvings of Buddhist figures, remained intact, with two blue stone steles still standing in front of the hall. The collapsed stone beams and pillars lay on the ground, while the more than one-meter-high blue stone revetment of the Guanyin Hall foundation remained whole. Three iron incense burners and one large metal bell were also preserved. Beside the stone revetment were eight yellow beech trees, and the temple grounds also featured ginkgo, yellow beech, osmanthus, boxwood, and magnolia trees. These relics were all registered and reported in the 1950s.

In 1954, a major flood struck, endangering the lowland dikes. The stone revetment and the stone carvings of the Buddha platform were dismantled for dike reinforcement, and even the ancient “Tianji” Bridge was taken apart for the same purpose. That same year, the temple’s Buddha statues were smashed and burned. By 1958, the two stone steles, two stone lions, and four stone-carved large Buddha statues were destroyed and used for lime burning; one large bell and three iron incense burners were shattered for the “Great Leap Forward’s steel production campaign,” and the memorial archway was torn down for firewood. In 1970, the stone beams and pillars (measuring 50–60 cm square and 8–10 meters long) of the Stone Buddha Hall were taken to build rural stone bridges.

Legend has it that when Emperor Qianlong visited Jiangnan and traveled to Suzhou, he asked the prefect to take him to Bao'en Temple to worship. The emperor only knew that Bao'en Chan Temple was located in a county with the character “Wu” in its name, but did not know whether it was in Wu County or Wujiang. The prefect was secretly distressed. If the emperor were to worship, his identity would have to be publicly revealed, requiring an official welcoming procession. Bao'en Chan Temple was in Tuncun, quite far away, and building a grand road was not feasible in time, nor could boats be found quickly. After much deliberation, the prefect told the emperor that Bao'en Temple was not far from the prefecture. He then immediately ordered the North Pagoda Bao'en Chan Temple in Wu County to be renovated and adorned with a plaque bearing the name Bao'en Chan Temple. The next day, Emperor Qianlong went to worship at the North Pagoda Temple. Later, Emperor Qianlong allocated funds to renovate the “Bao'en Chan Temple” (North Pagoda Bao'en Temple). Therefore, before the Cultural Revolution, the stone archway in front of Suzhou’s North Temple Pagoda always displayed a plaque reading “Bao'en Chan Temple.”