Jinhua Ancient Temple

Jinhua Ancient Temple

Jinhua Ancient Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Located on Jinhua Mountain in Luoxing Village, Jinhua Ancient Temple has a history that can be traced back to the late Tang Dynasty (around 900 AD). It flourished particularly during the Song Dynasty when it was financially prosperous, housing nearly 100 monks. The temple primarily promoted Buddhism and was known for its charitable deeds. Widowed and destitute individuals could bring their land to the temple to spend their later years in peace and receive support. At that time, the temple owned fifty to sixty acres of grain fields, yielding several hundred dan of rice per year. It declined during the late Qing Dynasty and early Republican period, and thereafter, the ancient temple suffered multiple instances of damage from wars and human activity (including during the Cultural Revolution). It was restored and rebuilt in 1992.

Just a wall away from Jinhua Ancient Temple lies Jinhua Academy. Its educational level was equivalent to that of a modern middle school, focusing on the teaching of the Five Classics and Four Books. Today, remnants of the academy’s walls still stand as evidence. Thanks to the temple’s strong financial resources at the time, branch schools were established in Ji’an and Nanchang, named Ji’an Examination Hall and Ji’chang Examination Hall respectively. Students of Jinhua Academy could take the imperial examination for the xiucai degree at the Ji’an Examination Hall or go directly to the Nanchang Examination Hall to sit for the juren degree. Students from the 42nd District (Tantou Township, which was part of the 42nd District during the feudal era), especially those in need, could receive assistance and support from both the Ji’an and Nanchang Examination Halls. Jinhua Academy produced many talented individuals. According to county records, Mr. Luo Jialang, who served as the Secretary of the Kuomintang Yongfeng County Party Committee and the first principal of Yongfeng Middle School in the 35th year of the Republic of China (1946), along with his brother Mr. Luo Jialin, both studied at this academy.

Luoxing Village: Luoxing Village is located in the western part of Tantou Township. It currently has 10 natural villages, 159 households, and a population of 746. The village has 1,071 mu of arable land and 12,549 mu of forested land, mainly covered with pine, fir, oak, lotus tree, and bamboo, with a forest coverage rate of 81%. The main agricultural products are rice, and the area is rich in tea oil and bamboo. Key agricultural goods include shiitake mushrooms, wood ear fungus, white lotus seeds, and winter bamboo shoots. … More details about Luoxing Village ++