Yunju Zen Temple

Yunju Zen Temple

Yunju Zen Temple is located on Cangji Mountain in Shenguikeng Village, Zhangxi Township, Yongjia County. It is a two-courtyard, brick-and-wood structure with a front and rear section and side wings, originally built during the Eastern Jin Dynasty. In the third year of the Yongchu era (422) of the Liu Song Dynasty, Xie Lingyun, who was serving as the governor of Yongjia, visited Qili Mountain and named the site Cangji Hermitage. During the Kaiyuan era (713–741) of the Tang Dynasty, it was renamed Cangji Hall. In the Yuanyou era (1086–1089) of the Northern Song Dynasty, it was again renamed Yunche Zen Temple. At the end of the Song Dynasty, when the Yuan army invaded from the south, the temple was destroyed. In the third year of the Yongle era (1405) of the Ming Dynasty, it was rebuilt to restore its original appearance and renamed “Yunju Zen Temple” (as the ancient characters for “che” and “ju” were pronounced the same). After several renovations, it has been preserved to this day. The temple faces south, with a depth of 50 meters and a width of 26 meters from east to west, covering an area of over 1,300 square meters. The front hall features a three-bay post-and-lintel structure with a flush-gable roof. The main hall is also three bays, with a combined post-and-lintel and through-tenon structure and a flush-gable roof. The east and west sides contain side rooms.

Source: Wenzhou Museum