Ganzhou Guangxiao Temple

Ganzhou Guangxiao Temple

Ganzhou Guangxiao Temple is a cultural relic protection unit of Jiangxi Province.

According to the *Gan County Annals of the Tongzhi Reign in the Qing Dynasty*, Guangxiao Temple is located to the right of Lianquan Spring in the southeast of the county town. It was built during the Jin Dynasty but later fell into disrepair. During the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Commander Qiu Chong rebuilt it. In the 53rd year of the Kangxi reign (1714), monk Cheng Guang raised funds to rebuild the temple. It underwent subsequent renovations during the Jiaqing and Tongzhi eras. The original temple had three courtyards, but the rear hall of the third courtyard has been lost, leaving only the first and second courtyards. The first courtyard features bracket sets and colored paintings, with plaque inscriptions in regular script reading “Vulture Peak” and “Deer Park” on either side of the main gate; the second courtyard is five bays wide and four bays deep, with a caisson ceiling painted with floral, bird, landscape, and figure motifs as well as poems. Between the front and middle halls is a pond, serving as a liberation pool, approximately five meters deep, inhabited by carp and turtles. Originally a relatively well-preserved ancient temple complex, it later saw gradual demolition after the city’s sauce factory relocated here from Tanzixiang. Later occupied by Ganzhou No. 1 Middle School, the site was redeveloped into high-rise buildings, and the original halls no longer exist, with only the entrance wall of Guangxiao Temple remaining.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Jiangxi Province