Jingxiu Temple

Jingxiu Temple

Jingxiu Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

According to Volume 122 of the Jiangxi General Annals from the 6th year of the Guangxu reign, Volume 11 of the History of Buddhism in Jiangxi, and the Fenyi County Annals, Jingxiu Temple was originally named Fusheng Temple (known as Qilong Temple during the Tang Dynasty, with records by the famous Song Dynasty poet Huang Tingjian). It was first built during the Baoding era of the Eastern Wu Dynasty (266–268 AD), boasting a history of over 1,730 years. It is one of the earliest 17 Buddhist temples established in Jiangxi Province. Throughout history, numerous notable figures have inscribed calligraphy and composed poems for the temple. Despite experiencing several periods of rise and decline over the past thousand years, it has remained prominent in western Jiangxi. In 1958, due to the construction of the Jiangkou Reservoir by the state, the old county seat of Fenyi and the entire temple were submerged under the reservoir. Nowadays, traces of the temple can still be found during dry seasons. After the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, with the further implementation of religious policies, the number of Buddhist followers in our county grew to several thousand. However, there was not a single completed and open Buddhist temple in the area. As a result, followers had to travel to Nanchang, Yichun, Pingxiang, or even other provinces to participate in religious activities. After careful consideration, the government decided in July 2000 to allocate 7,000 square meters of state-owned land located on the hill behind Hutang Village, Datai Village, behind the county court, free of charge, for the relocation and reconstruction of Fusheng Temple. The designed construction area of the entire temple was 4,200 square meters, with an overall architectural style modeled after Suzhou gardens. The estimated total cost was 6 million yuan, and a dormitory building was constructed that year. With strong support from the County Civil Affairs and Religious Affairs Bureau, in April 2004, the Provincial Civil and Religious Affairs Bureau approved the temple as the first Buddhist temple in the county permitted to resume operations and reopen. It was then renamed “Jingxiu Temple.” In 2005, construction began on the Mahavira Hall (with two main floors), with an estimated total cost of 2 million yuan. Due to funding issues, the project proceeded slowly.