Zaozhuang Ganquan Temple

Zaozhuang Ganquan Temple

Zaozhuang Ganquan Temple is a national AA-level tourist attraction and a cultural tourism site.

Ganquan Temple is located on the northern side of Zhuo Mountain in Zaozhuang City, Shandong Province, and is named after the sweet spring within the temple. It was built in the sixth year of the Yanyou era during the reign of Emperor Renzong of the Yuan Dynasty. The thousand-year-old ginkgo tree still standing in the temple is a testament to its long history. Beneath the ginkgo tree stands a stone tablet erected in the fifteenth year of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty (1588), titled “Record of the Reconstruction of Longwo Temple.” This tablet is approximately four meters high and carved from a single massive rock. The inscription was composed by Jia Menglong, the Minister of the Imperial Kitchen during the Ming Dynasty, and written by his younger brother, Jia Mengli. The back of the tablet records the former glory of Ganquan Temple: it once owned thousands of hectares of fertile land, housed over a hundred monks, and received donations from thousands of people during its reconstruction.

Ganquan Temple also endured many hardships throughout history, suffering repeated attacks from wars, lightning, and fires. By around 1949, the temple had largely collapsed, leaving only ruins and broken walls. In 1992, the Kesou Town government in the central district of Zaozhuang City invested 2.6 million yuan to carry out a large-scale reconstruction of Ganquan Temple. The rebuilt Mahavira Hall features exquisitely carved galleries in the east and west wing rooms, all exuding an ancient charm. The surrounding courtyard walls are winding and elegantly rustic. Inside the Mahavira Hall, the Buddha sits in the center, flanked by the Eighteen Arhats in the east and west, each with unique and vivid expressions. Below the steps in front of the Mahavira Hall is a liberation pond, into which the sweet spring beneath the ginkgo tree in the northwest corner of the temple flows (the source of the temple’s name). Fish swim in the pond, adding vibrant life to the area.

In April 1996, after applying at various levels, the Ganquan Temple Management Committee was finally approved by the higher authorities as a legitimate Buddhist activity site in the Zaozhuang area. In response, the Shandong Buddhist Association assigned Venerable Jichang, an 88-year-old eminent monk from Thousand Buddha Mountain, to reside at Ganquan Temple as its abbot. Since then, the temple’s incense offerings have flourished, providing a legal place of activity for more than 300 lay Buddhists in Zaozhuang. Through the joint efforts of Venerable Jichang, five monks in the temple, and numerous lay followers, and later through the collective endeavor of Venerable Jichang and devotees from all directions, the temple became the foremost Buddhist sanctuary in southern Shandong. The temple complex includes a grand mountain gate, bell and drum towers, the Heavenly King Hall, the Great Compassion Corridor, the liberation pond, the Mahavira Hall, the Guanyin Pavilion, the Scripture Depository, the guest hall, the dining hall, 14 east and west side halls, multiple male and female dormitories, and a two-story Dharma Hall currently under construction. The temple is surrounded by mountains and faces water, with a spring embraced within its grounds. Every spring, pear blossoms on the southern hills bloom like snow, while peach blossoms in front of the gate are pink as rouge. In autumn, pomegranates hang ripe among the green-covered hills. Today, a new Heavenly King Hall has been added in front of the liberation pond at Ganquan Temple, along with east and west corridors connecting to the side halls, as well as a dining hall to accommodate the food and lodging needs of monks and lay followers. Venerable Jichang frequently travels between Ganquan Temple and Thousand Buddha Mountain in Jinan to engage in Buddhist activities. Daily temple affairs are managed by Venerable Xinhao.

During the reconstruction of Ganquan Temple, the local government also excavated and organized 12 stone tablets related to the temple’s reconstruction from the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, and built a stele forest on the right side of the reconstructed Mahavira Hall. Among them is a dragon-carved stone tablet erected in the sixth year of the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty (1802), which records the historical background of why Zaozhuang is known as the “Coal City.” The inscription states: “Our people have had coal mines since the Wanli era of the previous dynasty, and by now (i.e., the Jiaqing era), they have been largely exhausted.” It also details how “a local man named Wang Chen partnered with a mountain man named Tai Gu Zhi Taiyang to mine coal,” and how they built a Coal God Temple within Ganquan Temple. This tablet further enriches the cultural significance of the temple.

Ganquan Temple has now become a central scenic spot in the northern suburbs of Zaozhuang. Devotees visit to offer incense and pay homage to the Buddha, or simply to witness the majesty of the Buddha. With time, Ganquan Temple will surely regain its former glory and shine as a distinguished Buddhist cultural sanctuary in southern Shandong. The current abbot of Ganquan Temple is Venerable Xinhao, 33 years old, originally from Jining, Shandong. He became a monk in 1991 under Venerable Jichang. The current supervisor is Venerable Weizheng, 27 years old, also originally from Jining, Shandong. The retired abbot is Venerable Jichang, now 90 years old, also from Jining, Shandong.