Huzhou Fahua Temple

Huzhou Fahua Temple

Huzhou Fahua Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Fahua Temple, also known as Baique Temple, is located on Shidou Mountain at the eastern foot of Bian Mountain, about 9 kilometers northwest of Huzhou. It was once visited by Wang Xizhi of the Jin Dynasty.

During the Southern Qi Dynasty (479–502), Buddhist nun Daochang, also known as Zongchi, chanted the Lotus Sutra here day and night without ceasing for twenty years. After her passing, she was buried on the mountain. It is said that in the first year of the Datong era of the Liang Dynasty (535), a precious reliquary containing Daochang’s sacred relics suddenly sprouted blue lotuses. Officials reported the miracle, and an imperial decree was issued to build Fahua Temple. During her chanting, white birds were often seen circling around her as if listening to the sutras, which is why the temple is also called Baique Temple. The Tang Dynasty chancellor Li Shen and the King of Wuyue from the Five Dynasties period renamed it Huijue Temple. In the Zhili era of the Northern Song Dynasty (1064–1067), monk Rusong rebuilt the temple and restored its original name, Fahua Temple. During the Qing Dynasty’s Kangxi era, monk Jieqing raised funds to renovate the temple, and Song Xu of Jiaxing painted the “Eleven Scenic Spots of the Famous Mountain” on the temple walls.

In the early years of the Republic of China, the area within about 5 kilometers of Baique Temple was covered with lush pines and cypresses, and the stone path up the mountain was lined with tall pine trees, earning it the name “Pine Path.” Upon entering Baique Temple, there was a central courtyard, and on the ridge beam of the main hall stood a white bird facing south. The temple’s main hall displayed a plaque gifted by Li Yuanhong, and its walls were adorned with poetic couplets by many notable figures. At the mountaintop was the Guanyin Hall, a spacious structure that could accommodate fifty to sixty worshippers. Before the Anti-Japanese War, worshippers from all over would flock here every spring. According to the Shen Bao newspaper, the number of visitors exceeded those at Shanghai’s Hong Temple by one-third. On the back mountain, there was also an ancient site known as the Wash-Bowl Pond. At the mountain’s summit lies a massive rock slab about two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters) wide, believed to be the site of the “Lake-Viewing Pavilion.” From this vantage point, one could look eastward toward the vast expanse of Taihu Lake.

Baique Temple and its lush pine forests were severely damaged by Japanese invaders during the Anti-Japanese War. Over the past decade, the temple has been gradually restored, and it now attracts a continuous stream of worshippers and tourists each year, including not only residents of Huzhou but also a large number of Buddhist devotees from cities such as Suzhou, Wuxi, and Changzhou in Jiangsu Province.

Source: Huzhou Municipal People's Government