Luoyang Yunyan Temple

Luoyang Yunyan Temple

Luoyang Yunyan Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Yunyan Temple was originally built during the Yuanhe era of the Tang Dynasty and is divided into an Upper Temple and a Lower Temple. It lies against Longchiman Peak, the main summit of the Funiu Mountain Range, and faces the Baotianman Nature Reserve. The thousand-year-old ginkgo tree in the temple is truly one of a kind in the world. Currently, only three main halls and three wing rooms of the Lower Temple remain; the surface structures of the Upper Temple have largely disappeared, leaving only some stupa ruins and remnants of architectural components. Among them, the brick inscriptions “Kaitong Zu Tang Zizai Chan Shi” (Patriarch Tang Zizai of the Kaitong Lineage), “Xi Zhu Lai Gong He Shang Ta Ming” (Stupa Inscription of Master Xi Zhu Lai), and some incomplete Ming dynasty bricks carved with Buddha images are the most precious.

The main hall of the Lower Temple is a flush-gable roof structure covered with gray tiles, with a depth of two zhang. The beams are adorned with gilt cloud-pattern paintings. The east wing room also features a flush-gable gray-tiled roof. Both were renovated during the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty. All wooden materials used in the temple’s beams, rafters, purlins, doors, windows, and pillars are made of ginkgo wood.

There are 413 ancient ginkgo trees over 500 years old currently preserved in Baihe Township, among which 237 are over 1,000 years old. These ginkgo trees are mainly concentrated in Yunyan Temple and Wuma Temple areas, with the oldest tree being 1,359 years old.

Address: Xiasi Village, Baihe Township, Song County, Luoyang City

Type: Historical Site / Temple

Recommended visiting time: About 1 hour