Kaiping Temple

Kaiping Temple

Kaiping Temple is a cultural heritage site protected by Yanping District.

Kaiping Temple faces southeast and is situated to the northwest, with its central axis running from southeast to northwest. The temple complex is surrounded by mountains on three sides—higher on the left and lower on the right. This mountain configuration embodies the ancient saying, “The Azure Dragon may tower a myriad feet, yet beware the White Tiger lifting its gaze.” Lush ancient trees and dense forests blanket the mountain at the back, creating a serene and elegant landscape, while the terrain in front of the temple is flat and offers an open view, making it a true hidden paradise. Over the generations, Kaiping Temple has produced many eminent monks and gained fame both domestically and abroad. Among them, Master Xuyun, who became a monk at a young age at Kaiping Temple, is the most renowned. He studied here in his youth, traveled extensively across China, Southeast Asia, and the United States, was elected Honorary President of the Buddhist Association of China in 1953, and passed away in 1959 at the age of 124 at Zhenhe Temple on Yunju Mountain in Jiangxi Province. Among the ancient temples and monasteries in Fujian Province, Kaiping Temple ranks just below Yongquan Temple on Drum Mountain in Fuzhou, Xichan Temple, and Nanputuo Temple in Xiamen. It stands alongside Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou and Guanghua Temple in Putian as one of Fujian’s 34 famous ancient temples and monasteries. It is also one of the most prestigious Buddhist sacred sites in northern Fujian. The temple gate features an inscribed plaque reading “Kaiping Chan Temple,” personally written by Emperor Kangxi.

Kaiping Temple observes numerous Buddhist festivals, especially the Bathing the Buddha Festival on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month and Guanyin’s Birthday, which are particularly lively. Monks and devotees from all directions come here to listen to sutras, worship, and burn incense, creating a continuous stream of visitors. As one of the most renowned ancient temples in northern Fujian, Kaiping Temple has, since the reform and opening-up period, welcomed batches of overseas Buddhist disciples, contributing to the promotion of cultural exchanges between China and other countries. In 1982, Master Tanzen from Singapore visited the temple and donated a bronze singing bowl. Japanese eminent monk Mengchun Kūkai personally inscribed the phrase “Compassionate Eyes Watching Over All Beings, Blessings Gather Like the Boundless Sea,” and gifted a finely painted “Bodhidharma Crossing the River” painting along with a wooden fish instrument. In January 1990, Venerable Kuanjing, Chairman of the North American California Buddhist Association in the U.S., along with a Singaporean layperson, brought many Buddhist scriptures to donate to the temple. In September 1996, eminent monks and Buddhists from the U.S., Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong Kong visited the temple, toured the site, and made donations for the renovation of the ancestral temple. In recent years, visitors to Kaiping Temple for sightseeing, incense burning, and Buddhist worship have been coming in an endless stream, reaching over 100,000 people annually.

Xiqin Town: Located 10 kilometers from the central urban area of Yan Cheng, Xiqin is one of the thousand-year-old towns in northern Fujian. Originally known as Xijin Town and Sanqin Town, it was renamed Xiqin during the Qing Dynasty due to its location west of Yan Cheng. With a history of 1,104 years, it borders Xiadao to the east, Shaxian County to the west, Taqian to the south, and Lai Zhou and Mangdang to the north. The town is covered in lush green mountains and boasts abundant natural resources. The two major rivers, Shaxi and Fu Tun, flow through the area. National Highways 205 and 316, the Beijing-Fuzhou Quzhou–Nanping Expressway, and the Yingtan–Xiamen Railway intersect here, providing direct access to regions inside and outside the province. The town enjoys full mobile communication coverage, broadband internet access directly to homes, and program-controlled telephones capable of dialing anywhere in the world... More details about Xiqin Town ++