Kunshan Huazang Temple

Kunshan Huazang Temple

Kunshan Huazang Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Kunshan Huazang Temple evolved from a former branch of Huiju Temple located on Ma’anshan (Horse Saddle Mountain) in Kunshan. Huiju Temple was built in the tenth year of the Tianjian era during the Liang Dynasty (511 AD). The monk Huixiang from Wuxing was the founding abbot of the temple. Huixiang was also the teacher of Emperor Wu of Liang, Xiao Yan. Emperor Wu granted him an iron incense burner, a silk-embroidered Buddha statue, as well as two hectares of land, a mountain, and a thousand pieces of timber.

When Huixiang first arrived in Kunshan, he meditated and sat cross-legged in a stone chamber on the side of Ma’anshan, using two tigers as attendants. He wished to establish a monastery but could not. It is said that that very night, a violent storm broke out, trees roared fiercely, and the sound of chopping echoed far and wide, puzzling everyone. By dawn the next day, the foundation of the hall had been completed, with the steps and base stones laid, believed to be the help of the mountain deity. At the beginning, there were a main hall and a smaller hall. By the time of Emperor Wuzong of Tang’s Huichang era (841–846 AD), when an imperial edict ordered the destruction of Buddhist temples nationwide, Huiju Temple also suffered this fate.

During the Xuanhe era of the Northern Song Dynasty (1119–1125 AD), Monk Xin transformed a branch of Huiju Temple at the northeastern foot of Ma’anshan into a preaching monastery for eminent monks from all directions and renamed it “Huazang Preaching Temple.” In the autumn of the Chunyou year of the Southern Song Dynasty (1248 AD), Monk Lianggong rebuilt the Great Buddha Pavilion, naming it the “Divine Movement Mahavira Hall.” In the thirteenth year of the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty (1380 AD), Monk Daya relocated “Huazang Preaching Temple” from the northern foot of Ma’anshan to the summit of West Mountain. In the twenty-second year of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty (1594 AD), Monk Jimo rebuilt the mountain gate and the Heavenly King Hall.

On the mountaintop stands the Lingxiao Pagoda, also known as the Supreme Many Treasures Pagoda. Some say it was built by Huixiang in the tenth year of the Liang Tianjian era (511 AD), while others claim it was built during the Tang Dynasty. In the third year of the Yuan Dade era (1299 AD), Monks Yianfu and Xifan rebuilt the pagoda. In the thirty-second year of the Ming Wanli era (1604 AD), Monk Jimo renovated the Lingxiao Pagoda into a seven-story structure.

In the spring of the forty-fourth year of the Qing Kangxi era (1705 AD), Emperor Kangxi visited Ma’anshan and climbed Wenbi Peak, composing poetry and leaving an inscription. The local magistrate converted the site into a “Royal Pavilion,” with the Yuanju Mountain House on the right, turning westward into the Three Officials Hall, referred to as Little Yuntai, along with the Zhenwu Hall atop Wenbi Peak, beside which stood the Dizang Hall, with the Wenxing Hall nearby, and the Chunfeng Pavilion in front. To the left of Baili Tower was the Hanxiu Mountain House, with the Ban Hidden Tower in the center, the Yuanning Nunnery to the east, later renovated into the Guanyin Hall, the Wenlong Pavilion to the west, and the scenery was indescribably beautiful.

In the tenth year of the Qing Xianfeng era (1860 AD), everything except the Lingxiao Pagoda was destroyed in war.

In the twenty-third year of the Republic of China (1934 AD), locals renovated the Lingxiao Pagoda, but just as construction reached the seventh floor, the “August 13th Incident” broke out. Later, the pagoda was bombed by Japanese aircraft and sustained damage. In the twenty-sixth year of the Republic of China (1937 AD), during Japan’s invasion of China, the mountain temple was bombed, and the mountain was occupied by Japanese troops. After victory, monks built three simple rooms, which remained until the liberation in 1949.

In June 1992, the Kunshan Municipal People’s Government approved the reconstruction of Huazang Temple, locating it on the west side of Cuiwei Pavilion at the southern foot of Ma’anshan, covering an area of five mu. In August 1997, Huazang Temple was relocated and reconstructed again at the south of Ma’anshan, north of Ma’anshan Road, and east of the west gate of Tinglin Park, with a construction area of 3,000 square meters. The temple was completed in October 2001. On June 5, 2004, the consecration ceremony was held, with Abbot Qiufeng delivering the thank-you speech. In front of the temple lies Bosheng Bridge spanning a small stream. The temple buildings feature architectural styles of the Song Dynasty, majestic and grand, with golden glazed tiles on the roofs, including the Heavenly King Hall, Mahavira Hall, Guanyin Hall, and Dizang Hall, making up a large-scale complex.

Related Information

Transportation Guide

Scenic Area Address: Tinglin Park, Ma’anshan East Road, Kunshan City, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province

Transit Routes: Within Kunshan City, take bus routes 105, 109, 10, 118, 12, 161, 18, 19, 1, 29, 51, Tourism Line 6, etc., and get off at the Tinglin Park stop.