Zizhu Chanlin Temple

Zizhu Chanlin Temple

Zizhu Chanlin Temple is a Tianjin Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Zizhu Chanlin Temple is located to the west of Xiaoli Village, Hexi Wu Town, Wuqing District, and dates back to the Qing Dynasty.

It is said that the site where the temple now stands was originally a nunnery, which later fell into ruin. The ruins were then rebuilt into a temple by Guangji Temple in Beijing. Hence, there has long been a local legend that Xiaoli Chanlin Temple is a branch of Guangji Temple in Beijing, and that its "root" lies in the capital. Several years after the temple was built, it gradually fell into disrepair. Later, the abbot treated an imperial family member for an illness and cured them. In response to the monks’ request, the emperor allocated funds for the temple’s renovation. Upon completion of the new temple, the emperor personally inscribed a plaque that read “Imperially Bestowed Cihang Chanlin.” The black plaque featured blue characters and imperial reign marks and dates, and it hung above the front gate of the front hall until shortly before the liberation.

The renovated Chanlin Temple faced south and covered an area of over 90 acres, far exceeding its original size. The temple complex was enclosed by walls, with the main gate situated at the southeast corner and a pair of stone lions placed in front. Inside the gate was a screen wall inscribed with the characters “0-Long Zhuan.” All the buildings within the temple were constructed from brick and wood, featuring carved beams and painted rafters, making for an imposing sight. The three-story main hall situated along the central axis was particularly exceptional. The first-floor hall had three bays in width and seven rafters in depth, with corridors extending to the front and rear. The hall enshrined the Maitreya Buddha, flanked by the Eighteen Arhats, and murals adorned all four walls. The second floor served as the main hall, centrally located within the entire temple complex. Also three bays wide, the hall was covered entirely with yellow glazed tiles, symbolizing its imperial-bestowed prestige, and served as the principal structure of the temple. Above the front corridor of this hall were a bronze bell on the left—standing two meters tall with a mouth one meter wide—and a large drum on the right, with a diameter of over one meter. On either side of the hall entrance were plaques inscribed with “Monastic Rules” and “Precepts.” Inside the hall, the central deity was Sakyamuni Buddha, flanked by accompanying Buddhas.

The third floor was the rear hall, similar in scale to the previous two levels, housing statues of Guanyin Bodhisattva and other deities. A statue of Skanda stood on the corridor outside the hall. Among the dozens of statues enshrined throughout the temple, with the exception of the clay Skanda, all others were crafted with sandalwood frames, covered in gold leaf and painted in vibrant colors, each demonstrating exquisite craftsmanship and lifelike detail. To the east and west of the three main halls were separate courtyards. Outside these courtyards lay a practice field, and along the north-south axis beyond that were rows of auxiliary rooms. Including both inner and outer structures, the monk quarters and auxiliary rooms totaled several dozen. Overall, the temple was not only large in scale, high in grade, and bustling with worshippers, but also owned over a hundred acres of land—an unmatched presence among the dozens of temples in the town. This gave rise to the local saying: “Poor in Xiaoli, rich in the temple.”

On May 16, 2020, the Tianjin Municipal People's Government designated it as part of the Fifth Batch of Tianjin Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Tianjin Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Units