Tanglong Temple

Tanglong Temple

The Great Dragon Famous Mountain Tanglong Temple was first built in the 8th year of the Jiayou era (1063 AD) during the Song Dynasty (under Emperor Renzong). The temple’s Mahavira Hall and Heavenly King Hall stand solemn and majestic, while the bell and drum towers, vegetarian dining hall, and kitchen are laid out in an orderly fashion. It houses over 50 Buddhist statues made of clay, wood, and bronze, as well as several famous poems and couplets. Legend has it that when the temple was first constructed, a fragmented stele was unearthed, bearing the three characters “Tanglong Temple” (唐龙寺) written in the hand of Yan Zhenqing, hence the temple was renamed Tanglong Temple. For nearly a thousand years, the temple has endured many hardships, having been destroyed and rebuilt several times. It was last destroyed during the Cultural Revolution and was restored in 1979 with funding from the Yanhang Deng family. In July 2001, the Le’an County government officially approved the reopening of Tanglong Temple on Great Dragon Mountain, which soon attracted throngs of visitors and saw incense burning in great abundance.