Jinhua Tianning Temple

Jinhua Tianning Temple

Jinhua Tianning Temple is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Tianning Temple is located on the banks of the Wu River in the southeastern part of Jinhua city. In 1988, it was designated as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit by the State Council. It is one of the three typical wooden structures from the Yuan Dynasty in southern China. With its distinctive period features and unique architectural style, it attracts many ancient architecture experts and tourists.

According to the Guangxu-era "Jinhua County Annals," Tianning Temple, originally named Dazang Yuan, was established during the Dazhong Xiangfu period of the Northern Song Dynasty (1008–1016) and was granted the name Chengtian Temple. During Emperor Huizong’s Chongning era, it was renamed Chongning Wanshou Temple. By the Zhenghe years (1111), it was called by its current name. In the eighth year of Emperor Gaozong’s Shaoxing era (1138), to honor his father, Emperor Huizong, it was bestowed the name Baoying Guangxiao Temple. It was rebuilt in the fifth year of Emperor Renzong’s Yuanyou era during the Yuan Dynasty (1318). During the Ming Dynasty's Zhengtong era, it was restored and named Tianning Wanshou Temple. The original complex included a mountain gate, the Heavenly King Hall, a stone pagoda, the Mahavira Hall, the Great Compassion Pavilion, the Ancient Cypress Hall, monks’ quarters, and east and west wing rooms, forming a relatively complete small temple. The only surviving structure is the Mahavira Hall, commonly referred to as the Tianning Temple Main Hall. The hall is three bays deep and wide, square in shape, featuring a single-eave, nine-ridged roof and a post-and-lintel construction. The main beam is a single, thick round log, and at points where beams intersect, brackets (dougong) are used. In areas where the brackets bear significant pressure, a long purlin is run through the joints. The entire hall contains hundreds of brackets, shaped like birds in flight—locals call it the “Hundred Birds Facing the Phoenix.” It was renovated in 1979 and retains its original Yuan Dynasty appearance. Behind the main hall are two cypresses from the Song Dynasty, which resemble flying dragons and phoenixes—locals refer to them as the “Dragon and Phoenix Cypresses.” These trees are over 1,000 years old and are quite precious, though unfortunately they have withered in recent years.

According to measurements by the National Cultural Heritage Administration’s Conservation Science and Technology Research Institute, some of the main hall’s pillars date back a thousand years, while certain beams, bracket sets, and other components are around 800 years old. These offer extremely valuable physical evidence for the study of the evolution of architectural structures in the Jiangnan region from the Song to the Ming Dynasties.

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