Lingxing Temple

Lingxing Temple

Lingxing Temple, founded in 326 AD (during the Xianhe era of the Eastern Jin Dynasty), is the earliest renowned temple in Hangzhou. It is one of the Five Temples established by the Indian monk Master Huili in Hangzhou. During the Northern Song Dynasty, it began to be called the “Temple of the God of Wealth” after the “Five Manifestations of Wealth” were enshrined there. In the Ming Dynasty, due to a hall with the alias “Huaguang,” it was also called the “Huaguang Temple.”

Located at the highest peak in Hangzhou, Lingxing Temple is a grand and historic ancient temple that has attracted visits from emperors and literati throughout the dynasties. From 1107 to 1110 AD (during the Daguan era of Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty), the temple was bestowed the plaque name “Lingxing.” Emperor Kangxi left calligraphy inscribed with the words “Huaguang Temple,” while Emperor Qianlong granted the title “True Deity of the God of Wealth” and composed a poem for the temple. Tang Dynasty poet Fang Gan, Song Dynasty literary giant Su Dongpo, Ming Dynasty talents Deng Lin and Yao Zhao, among others, all left poems at the temple. The talented scholar of the Jiangnan region, Xu Wei, who climbed the mountain and visited the temple, claimed it was the most spectacular sight he had ever seen. He left behind the inscription “The Number One Temple of the God of Wealth in the World,” which is still engraved on a plaque housed within the temple. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, founding leader Mao Zedong visited Beigaofeng Mountain three times, composed a poem that was inscribed on a stele and erected at the mountain peak, and in 1961, Chairman Zhu De visited the mountain and wrote a poem as well.

On January 1, 2005, Lingxing Temple returned to the management of the Buddhist Association and officially reopened to the public. Its architecture was restored to the styles of the Ming and Qing dynasties, and the temple underwent consecration on the eighth day of the second lunar month in 2005, since when its incense offerings have flourished.