Yuantong Treasure Hall

Yuantong Treasure Hall

Yuantong Treasure Hall is a cultural relic protection unit of Zhenhai District.

Yuantong Treasure Hall is located within the Weiyuan Fortress atop Mount Zhaobao in Zhenhai. It serves as the main hall of BaoTuo Chan Temple and was relocated here in the 36th year of the Jiajing reign during the Ming Dynasty (1557) by Governor Hu Zongxian from the Purple Bamboo Grove on Meicen Mountain (now Mount Putuo). Mount Zhaobao stands at the northern bank of the Yong River estuary, forming a strategic pincer with Jinji Mountain on the southern bank. With its majestic terrain, it has long been known as the “Jade Gate Pass of Eastern Zhejiang.” Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, it has served as an important military stronghold against foreign invaders.

Yuantong Treasure Hall was designated as a district-level cultural relic protection unit in 1981, and underwent major restoration and roof reconstruction in the same year.

The restored Yuantong Treasure Hall consists of five bays, standing 10.8 meters tall with a width of 19.7 meters and a depth of 18.3 meters, covering a floor area of 360.51 square meters. It features a double-eave hip-and-gable roof with a front-and-rear double-beam lifting structure. The roof is covered with red rafters and cylindrical tiles, with a bronze mirror named Guanghuan hanging at the center of the ridge, and dragon-headed glazed chiwen ornaments at both ends. The front side is inscribed with “National Prosperity and People’s Peace,” while the reverse side reads “Favorable Weather and Bumper Harvests.” The four hip ridges are adorned with upturned eaves and carved rafters, and the lower eave corners hang decorative plaques that tinkle in the wind. The plaque above the hall entrance, inscribed with the words “Yuantong Treasure Hall,” was written in 1987 by Zhao Puchu, then President of the Buddhist Association of China. In 1985, monks returned to the mountain and recast the gilded statue of Vairocana Guanyin, which stands 8 meters tall along with its lotus pedestal, flanked by attendant statues of Sudhana and Dragon Girl, with 32 incarnated forms of Guanyin arranged on either side. A statue of Shakyamuni Buddha is also enshrined, with eighteen arhat statues placed along the walls behind and beside the Buddha, all positioned on stone Sumeru pedestals 1.2 meters high.

The front of the hall is paved with a flagstone floor covering 222.8 square meters, and features a pair of stone lions and one iron incense burner. In 1985, the Shuili Hall and Liuhe Pavilion were built on the eastern side of the hall, covering a construction area of 536 square meters. At the same time, a three-story sanatorium built in the early Republican era, covering 493 square meters, was renovated. In 1986, a dining hall, kitchen (nine rooms), and building (five rooms) totaling 520 square meters were constructed. In 1987, the Pure Land Hall with four rooms (250 square meters) was built. In 1988, a monk dormitory building with 17 rooms (345 square meters) was added. In 1990, another scripture hall building with 12 rooms (431 square meters) was constructed. By 1995, the total floor area of the buildings of BaoTuo Chan Temple reached 2,939.5 square meters.

It was designated as a county-level cultural relic protection unit in July 1981.