Pingyang Temple

Pingyang Temple

Pingyang Temple is a national AA-level tourist attraction and a cultural tourism site.

Located at the foot of Ruoye Mountain, the source of the Jiruoye Stream in Shaoxing County, Zhejiang Province (now within the Kuaiji Scenic Tourism Area), the temple is named “Pingyang” (meaning “peaceful plains”) because it lies to the south of Kuaiji, on a broad, flat terrain surrounded by mountains. During the Spring and Autumn Period, Yuanchang, the founding ancestor of the Yue Kingdom, resided here and established his capital city.

According to the Jiatai Kuaiji Records: The renowned Eastern Jin Taoist priest Ge Xuan (also known as the Immortal Sage) once lived in Ruoye Mountain to practice Taoism. It is said that the tung tree he hid under transformed into a white deer, hence the mountain was also named “Huanao Mountain” (Deer Transformation Mountain). Furthermore, according to the Qing-era Kangxi Kuaiji County Annals: The predecessor of Pingyang Temple was the “Pingyang Taoist Temple.” This area featured emerald-green peaks and crystal-clear streams, attracting many Taoist monks. However, the Taoist temple was destroyed during the military conflicts in the early Ming Dynasty. According to the Records of Chinese Buddhist History: In the 17th year of the Shunzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1660), the eminent monk Daoshi was ordered by the emperor to leave the capital and return to the mountain to establish Pingyang Temple. He served as its abbot and was bestowed the title “Hongjue Chan Master.” In the 5th year of the Kangxi reign (1666), the temple had six wells, seven-pillared halls, and eaves eight feet high. In the 44th year of the Kangxi reign (1705), the emperor made a southern inspection tour and bestowed the plaque “Chuandeng Temple,” along with an inscribed board reading “Famed Incense and Pure Chants.” In the 52nd year of the Kangxi reign (1713), the emperor again granted the temple a copy of the Diamond Sutra. In the 52nd year of the Qianlong reign (1787), the emperor presented two scriptures — the Dayun and Lunru — each one volume. The temple also houses the entire Lotus Sutra, written in the blood of Daoshi. From then on, Pingyang Temple gained great fame and became a major Buddhist destination for high-ranking imperial officials to pay homage. According to oral tradition in Shaoxing, after Shunzhi Emperor became a monk, he traveled to and resided at Pingyang Temple. Although no official historical records confirm this, it is said that Emperor Kangxi made two southern inspection tours and returned from Pingyang Temple, which people believe was to visit his family. The phrases “returning to rest” and “bravely retiring” found in the inscription by Daoshi in the summer of 1672 (the year of Renzi) inside the temple—“The hermitage transmits accumulated emerald hues, the Dharma leads the old Nan to retire; the staff points to Tiantai, the master follows the brave retreat of Weng”—seem to hint at something specific.

The most distinctive Buddhist structure in Pingyang Temple is the Scripture Depository. The beams and pillars inside remain spotlessly clean, free from dust or dirt. The rafters and roof beams show no signs of insect damage, looking as if they have just been wiped clean. It is said that since its construction over 300 years ago, the depository has never been swept or washed, yet remains dust-free—a true marvel of the world. Many notable figures from China and abroad have visited to see this wonder. In 1971, cultural representatives from Yugoslavia came here specifically to investigate. The phenomenon has been reported multiple times by news outlets at both central and local levels, yet to this day, no definitive explanation for the lack of dust has been concluded. Folklore widely suggests that it is due to a dust-absorbing pearl released by Shunzhi Emperor when he lived in seclusion at Pingyang Temple as a monk. Historical records indicate that after Daoshi, the abbot’s seat was taken over by Tianyue Chan Master, whose reputation shook the nation and earned widespread reverence.

The temple originally covered an area of 19,980 square meters, with nearly a hundred halls and living quarters, and owned 2,000 acres of land. By the end of the Qing Dynasty, there were still over a hundred monks. A statue of Daoshi and a stele titled “Appeal for Funds to Rebuild the Main Hall of Pingyang Temple” were also present, with the text recorded in Mao Qiling’s Xihé Collection. Based on all the research, Pingyang Temple was a renowned temple of the Qing Dynasty, having hosted two generations of Imperial Tutors and received imperial favor across three dynasties. In 1936, the eastern side of the main hall collapsed. Monk Futang and Shaoxing Buddhist layperson Tong Guogan, among others, initiated fundraising efforts for repairs. That same year, the outbreak of the War of Resistance halted the project, and major structures deteriorated over time due to disrepair and repeated collapses.

Pingyang Chan Temple once housed the complete blood-written Lotus Sutra by Hongjue Chan Master, a yellow alms bowl gifted by Emperor Kangxi, and a thousand-Buddha kasaya—referred to at the time as the “Three Treasures of Pingyang.” In 1941, Du, director of the East Zhejiang Administrative Office, moved the “Three Treasures of Pingyang” to Guoqing Temple on Tiantai Mountain for safekeeping. In 1951, the temple ceased religious activities, and its buildings were repurposed by the local village into residences and tea workshops. Consequently, all scriptures and artifacts were scattered. In 1956, a typhoon struck Pingyang Chan Temple, leaving only the Scripture Depository and a few side rooms standing. During the Great Leap Forward steel-smelting campaign in 1958, the temple’s giant tripod and a three-ton bell were destroyed. In 1988, dedicated laypersons initiated fundraising efforts, leading to the repair of the Scripture Depository, which was converted into a worship hall, and the reinstallation of Buddha statues and ritual items. Thus, Pingyang Temple was revived, taking on the basic layout of a functioning monastery. On September 28, 1992, the Shaoxing County Government approved Pingyang Chan Temple as an officially open temple. Currently, there are 44 Buddha statues of various sizes.

The Shaoxing Municipal Government included the temple in the major development projects of the Kuaiji Scenic Tourism Area, restoring its former architectural scale in 2000. Under the leadership of Abbot Yinxiang, the temple—supported by donations from monastics and devotees from within and beyond the province—undertook renovation of the buildings and procurement of Buddhist instruments. Acts of devotion such as making Buddhist vows and hanging decorative banners by faithful followers became common, giving the Mahavira Hall, Scripture Depository, and other structures a renewed vibrancy.