Quanzhou Chengtian Temple

Quanzhou Chengtian Temple

Quanzhou Chengtian Temple is a cultural heritage site protected by the Quanzhou Municipal Government.

Quanzhou Chengtian Temple, also known as Yuetai Temple, is located southeast of Chongyang Gate in downtown Quanzhou, Fujian Province. During the Five Dynasties period, this site was the southern garden of military governor Liu Yixiao. In the Xiande era of the Later Zhou Dynasty (954–960), it was converted into a Buddhist temple and initially named “Nanchan Temple.” In the fourth year of the Jingde era of the Song Dynasty (1007), it was bestowed the name “Chengtian Temple.” During the Jiayou era (1056–1063) of the Song Dynasty, it was briefly renamed “Nengren Temple,” and then reverted to “Chengtian Temple” in the seventh year of the Zhenghe era (1117). During the Song Dynasty, Chengtian Temple enjoyed great popularity, with magnificent halls and ten scenic spots: “Shade at Noon on the Banyan Path,” “Breeze from the Lying Pine,” “No Birds Nesting in the Pagoda,” “Bright Moon over Jade Terrace,” “Morning Sun through the Curtain,” “Evening Rain in the Pushed-Open Awning,” “Plum Shadows in the Square Pond,” “Bamboo Sounds in the Whistling Hut,” “Evening Clouds over Parrot Mountain,” and “Boulder Shaped Like a Parrot.”

The central axis of the temple stretches 300 meters, sequentially featuring the Heavenly King Hall, Maitreya Hall, Mahavira Hall, Dharma Hall, and Manjushri Hall. On the eastern side, reconstructed structures include the Zen Hall, Ancestral Hall, Dragon King Hall, and monks’ quarters. The temple’s mountain gate faces west and prominently displays a plaque inscribed with the characters “Yuetai” (Moon Terrace). It is a gable-and-hip roofed building with three bays, and legend has it that the two characters “Yuetai” would sometimes appear upright and other times sideways, creating the curious sight known as the “Inverted Reflection of the Moon Terrace.” Inside the temple grow five ancient banyan trees, with seven stone pagodas standing among them. These towering banyans never extend their branches beyond the temple walls—an oddity referred to as “Banyans Do Not Cross the Wall.” The Heavenly King Hall houses statues of the Four Heavenly Kings. In front of the hall stands a stone stupa made of bluestone, topped with a small stone lion that, according to legend, can exhale blue smoke—hence called the “Lion Emitting Smoke.” A long stone slab embedded in the stone steps features the image of a pale pink plum blossom, with a lingering fragrance said to waft from it—known as the “Plum Stone Emitting Fragrance.” In front of the Maitreya Hall are stone stupas and stone pillars dating back to the Song Dynasty. Bell and drum towers stand facing each other on the left and right, featuring multi-eave pyramidal roofs. Their ceilings have intricate caisson designs, dubbed the “Spider’s Web.”

Starting from the bell and drum towers, there are corridors 150 meters long on both the eastern and western sides, connecting the Maitreya Hall, Mahavira Hall, and Dharma Hall. The corridor walls are adorned with over two-meter-high polychrome clay reliefs of the Twenty-Four Devas, crafted using the hollow-core lacquer technique, which are quite unique. In front of the Mahavira Hall are two liberation ponds, beside which stand two “Flying-Here Pagodas.” Legend says that a monk from Taiwan once carried these two pagodas while traveling, but one day they mysteriously disappeared. Later, the monk found the sacred pagodas at Chengtian Temple. The Mahavira Hall is a grand and solemn structure with a hip-and-gable roof, five bays wide, and double eaves.

The hall enshrines statues of the Buddhas of the Three Ages, Kasyapa and Ananda, various devas, the Eighteen Arhats, the Four Great Bodhisattvas, and the founding patriarch—all newly sculpted during the latest renovation, exuding sublime beauty. The Dharma Hall houses the temple’s most treasured relic: a bronze statue of Amitabha Buddha cast during the Sui Dynasty. The statue stands two meters tall and weighs over one ton, a rare find in China. The corridors on either side of the Dharma Hall are painted with 12 exquisite murals depicting Buddhist stories.

Address: No. 36, Nanjun Road, Licheng District, Quanzhou City

Type: Temple

Recommended visiting time: 1–2 hours

Phone: 0595-22272857

Opening hours:

9:00-18:30

Ticket information:

Free admission.

Source: Fujian Provincial Tourism Development Commission