Yongnian Puhui Temple

Yongnian Puhui Temple

Yongnian Puhui Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Puhui Temple is located at the junction of Yongnian, Jize, and Quzhou counties. It sits 10 kilometers northeast of Guangfu Ancient City in Yongnian and 2 kilometers southwest of Xiabadian Village, Zhangxibao Town. According to county records: Puhui Temple was anciently known as PuHui Temple or also called Puhui Temple. It was first established in the third year of Yongping during the Northern Wei Dynasty (510 AD), boasting a history of over 1,500 years, with its original site located northwest of Guangfu Ancient City in Yongnian. During the Yuanfeng era of the Northern Song Dynasty, Monk Zongze, also known as Master Cijue, a native of Hebei? Chishu, ?lan Shu?, came to prominence. In the Daming period, he renamed it “Benevolent Relief Temple,” and over the course of 12 years, reconstructed it in sections, moving it to the current location. "A gathering of 108 eminent monks discussed Buddhist teachings for eighteen years, making it an annual tradition, attracting not just monks but also over ten thousand lay followers," expanding its influence across hundreds of miles.

During the Chongning era of the Song Dynasty, it was renamed Tianning Wanshou Chan Monastery. In the Tianhui era of the Jin Dynasty, Monk Tongxiu initiated its reconstruction at the present site. In the third year of the Zhenglong era of the Jin Dynasty, Monk Zhian once again renovated and expanded the temple, “employing over 100,000 laborers and using 10,000 pounds of iron,” completely renewing the temple’s appearance. “A gathering of 108 great virtuous monks engaged in Buddhist practices for eighteen years, making it an annual tradition, with both monastic and lay followers numbering no less than ten thousand,” extending its influence across surrounding regions.

During the Chenghua era of the Ming Dynasty, Monk Rujin added the Thousand Buddha Pavilion. In the Jiaqing era, Monks Miaozhong and Miaocong, Prefect Zhao Fen, Xue?, County Magistrate Ma Hanru, local resident Liu Yinglin, each carried out renovations. In the 14th year of the Shunzhi era and the 37th year of the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty, the Yuantong Pavilion within the temple was renovated. Further repairs were made during the Tongzhi era. Later, a man known as Han Shenxian (who had an eye disease and was commonly referred to as Blind Han) arrived at the temple. He never revealed his name, was fond of humor, and was multi-talented, “mastering medical arts and effecting miraculous cures with a single diagnosis,” thus earning “a reputation that spread far and wide, reaching even hundreds of miles.” In the 19th year of the Guangxu era, he used donated funds to renovate the temple.

In ancient times, Puhui Temple possessed vast temple fields, as evidenced by a stele from the Yuan Dynasty granting tax exemption to the temple's lands. From the Republican era to before liberation, monks such as Wuliang, Zhanshu, Qingtang, and Qinghai presided over the temple.

Puhui Temple faces south and covers an area of over 80 acres. The Mountain Gate Hall is 21 meters wide, 11 meters deep, and 10 meters high, built in a traditional revival architectural style. Inside, there are four?rouge-colored? beams supported by 14 red pillars. At the center of the main hall sits the Maitreya Buddha, flanked by statues of the Four Heavenly Kings, while the Weituo Bodhisattva stands facing north.

Entering the main courtyard, there are screen walls, a bell tower, and a drum tower on each side. The upper level of the bell tower houses a large bell with a diameter of 1.5 meters, a height of 1.8 meters, and weighing two tons. The lower level enshrines the Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva. On the west side is the drum tower, which suspends a large drum 1.5 meters high and 0.6 meters thick, with the lower level enshrining the Sangharama Bodhisattva. The Amitabha Buddha Guidance Statue is located between the Mountain Gate Hall and the Mahavira Hall. The statue is 9.99 meters tall, with a Sumeru pedestal 2.7 meters high, totaling 12.7 meters in height, the tallest in the Hebei-Shanxi-Shandong-Henan region.

Ahead lies the Mahavira Hall, built in 1995 and funded by the temple’s abbot, Shangyou Ming. It is 27 meters wide, 18 meters deep, and 16 meters high, with the Shakyamuni Buddha enshrined at its center.

To the north is the Yuantong Hall, built in 1992, spanning five bays (19 meters wide), 11 meters deep, and 15 meters high, designed as a double-layered?pavilion-style?revival architecture. At its center stands an 11-meter-high wooden sculpture of the Thousand-Armed and Thousand-Eyed Guanyin Bodhisattva with three faces, flanked by the Twelve Wisdom Kings.

Further north is the Three Saints Hall, built in 1998, spanning five bays, with the Amitabha Buddha enshrined at its center, Guanyin Bodhisattva on the east, and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva on the west, and the upper level serving as a scripture depository. The northernmost hall is the ?Chen?? Hall, built in 2006, 25 meters wide, 18 meters deep, and 16 meters high. The Kṣitigarbha Hall was built in 2010 and is located in the western part of the temple.

Transportation Guide

Scenic Address: 2 kilometers southwest of Xiabadian Village, Zhangxibao Town, Yongnian County, Handan, Hebei Province

Transit Routes: Take a bus from Yongnian bound for Zhangxibao, then transfer to a minibus to Xiabadian upon arrival.