Shuanglin Temple in Yiwu

Shuanglin Temple in Yiwu

Shuanglin Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Shuanglin Temple is located at Luohantang in Foutai Town, Yiwu City, Zhejiang Province. It is renowned for having stood through 15 dynasties and 15 centuries, with its foundation laid by Bodhidharma, its construction decreed by Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty, and its establishment initiated by the bodhisattva Chen Daoshi in 520 AD. Furthermore, hundreds of emperors and ministers from the Chen and Sui dynasties served as patrons, while Emperors Wen and Yang issued imperial edicts to commend disciples of the bodhisattva such as Hui Ze, which further amplified its fame and glory. Historically, Shuanglin Temple boasted an unprecedented scale and received lavish imperial patronage unmatched by ordinary temples. During the Northern Song Dynasty, it still had 1,200 monk’s quarters and housed over 200 monks and nuns. Since its founding in the Chen Dynasty, its prosperity had only grown, hence earning titles such as “Third Best in the World, First in Jiangsu and Zhejiang,” and “Great Temple of Eastern Zhejiang.” In the Song Dynasty, it was also listed as one of the “Five Mountains and Ten Temples of the Nation’s Monastic Community.” In the third year of Emperor Yingzong's reign during the Zhizheng era, the emperor bestowed upon it the plaque “Baolin Chan Temple,” and in the second year of Emperor Huizong's Daguan era, ten hectares of land were granted.

Shuanglin Temple has repeatedly risen from destruction, with its incense never extinguished. After centuries of continuous flourishing, it met its darkest hour in the third year of Emperor Huizong's Xuanhe era when the Qiao Nao rebellion caused a fire that razed the temple: “Unfortunately, it was burned to ashes, not a single rafter remained.” In the second year of Emperor Gaozong’s Shaoxing era, descendants of the Chuan lineage led the effort to rebuild the temple through donations, raising over a hundred thousand coins. “Construction began in the spring of that year and was completed by winter of the following year. The main hall rose eighty feet tall, with a width one and a half times that, majestic and exquisitely crafted, towering above the clouds.” In the fourth year of Shaoxing, Jia Shandian from Dongyang, also known as Tingyou, cast a grand bell and constructed the Tripitaka Hall. By the Yuan Dynasty, due to the imperial family’s reverence for Buddhism waning, Shuanglin Temple gradually declined. Halls, gates, corridors, and other structures collapsed one after another, turning into wilderness, leaving only the mountain gate, scripture depository, monks’ hall, and bodhisattva hall standing. By autumn of the second year of the Zhi Zheng era in the Yuan Dynasty, Zen Master Yunlong arrived to preside over the temple, dedicating himself to teaching and fundraising. After seven years and immense labor, he restored the ruined site, bringing Shuanglin back to life. In the Ming Dynasty, successive reconstruction projects continued, including four major efforts during the reign of Emperor Sizong alone, spanning a total of 17 years.

The true decline of Shuanglin Temple began in the Qing Dynasty. In the forty-fifth year of Emperor Gaozong’s Qianlong era, the temple suffered a fire, which was not easily restored. Only the rear hall was rebuilt, though five monk rooms still remained. In the seventh year of the Tongzhi era (1861), the Taiping Army captured Yiwu, causing “walls and tiles to collapse, rafters and beams to break,” leaving only two monk rooms — Ren and Xin. In the eighth year of Tongzhi (1868), monks Fengchun, Xuelian, and Xuecheng solicited support for a major restoration. Construction began in the eighth month of autumn that year and was completed in the eleventh month of winter. In the twenty-seventh year of the Guangxu era, the Tiantai monk Huiquan arrived at the temple and, moved by the sacred site’s neglect, invited the lay devotee Sun Yuxian from Fenghua to raise a vast sum of money. After over 20 years of painstaking effort, the Dabei Pavilion was erected, along with a thousand-armed Guanyin statue and 84 statues depicting the Dabeizhou mantra, refreshing the temple's appearance. However, the original main hall, mountain gate, and others were left unrepaired. In the winter of 1928, Master Huiquan passed away. His disciples, divided and disputing over the position of abbot, even set the temple on fire. As a result, the newly built three-courtyard Dabei Pavilion and dozens of side halls were destroyed. After the fire, only a dilapidated mountain gate, over fifty rundown monk rooms, and five main hall rooms remained—totaling just 60 structures. Compared to the more than two hundred halls during the Song Dynasty, it was clear the temple had fallen into desolation.

In the early 1949, Shuanglin Temple had only around ten structures left, including the mountain gate, Guanyin Pavilion, central hall, and upper hall, with merely over ten monks remaining. In 1958, the temple was completely destroyed. The original mountain gate became part of a reservoir dam, the site submerged underwater. Even the Southeast’s largest industrial bell—over ten feet tall, inscribed with both Sanskrit and Chinese versions of the Śūraṅgama Sutra—was shattered and sold off as scrap copper. Existing relics today include only the Shuanglin Iron Pagoda, alongside fragmented roof tiles from the Sui and Tang dynasties, and the remnants of walls visible at the bottom of the reservoir.

In 1979, nuns Kairui and Shanching returned to Shuanglin successively, raising funds to rebuild the temple. Together they constructed 24 halls and rooms, and in October 1994, the Shwandashi Relic Stupa was completed. Made of grey brick, it has seven stories and stands 17.2 meters high with an inner diameter of 5 meters. The lower three stories are open to visitors. In February 1986, after Shuanglin Temple was designated a key protected monastery, it garnered attention from all sectors of society and the international Buddhist community. Pilgrims from the East and West visited continuously, many proposing the reconstruction of the halls to restore its former glory. In 1993, the Yiwu Municipal Government commissioned Southeast University to develop a master plan, which was approved in January 1994. The new temple complex includes eight scenic spots. The planning principles emphasize independence, heritage, compatibility, and development, preserving Buddhist traditions and Zen aesthetics while reflecting modern sensibilities. The temple complex covers an area of 30,000 square meters, with a total investment of approximately 200 million RMB. In June 1997, the Mahavira Hall was completed. Standing 33 meters tall, 41 meters wide, and 30 meters deep, it covers an area of 2,000 square meters. Majestic and solemn, it embodies a classical yet grand aura. A bronze statue of Shwandashi was also created, standing six meters tall and designed with the image of “a Confucian hat, Daoist shoes, and a Buddhist kasaya,” representing the inclusive philosophy of “Confucian conduct as foundation, Daoism as priority, and Buddhism as core,” as well as the iconography of Chinese Zen.

The most treasured relic of the ancient Shuanglin Temple is the Shuanglin Iron Pagoda, cast in the second year of the Guangshun era of the Later Zhou Dynasty during the Five Dynasties (952 AD). It is the oldest iron pagoda in China and has been recognized as a national treasure. The octagonal, five-story pagoda stands about five meters tall, tapering gracefully from the base upward. Its exquisite design and ingenious craftsmanship are remarkable. Due to wars over the centuries, only two stories of the pagoda body, one story of the top section, one base, and one railing remain, with a current height of 2.15 meters. One story features 36 Buddha statues, and the other has 128. Each face of every story is adorned with crossbeams and brackets. Between each bracket sits a Buddha statue. Scenes of surging seas, dragons spouting water, heavenly kings riding waves, divine beings ascending auspicious clouds, and mythical beasts such as horned horses come vividly to life. The iron pagoda is exquisitely structured and masterfully crafted. Despite over a thousand years of wind and rain erosion, aside from some oxidation and rust, the pagoda remains dark and shiny, inspiring awe. It is a masterpiece of Buddhist art and a precious artifact for studying ancient casting techniques. Cultural relics experts assert that such an ancient iron pagoda covered in intricate designs is truly one of a kind in China.

Address: Yunhuang Mountain, Futang Town, Yiwu City, Jinhua

Type: Historic Temple

Recommended Visit Duration: 1–2 hours

Ticket Information:

Free admission.