Tangshan Lingxiao Temple

Tangshan Lingxiao Temple

Tangshan Lingxiao Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Lingxiao Temple was first built during the Five Dynasties period and is a monastery with a history of over two thousand years. Legend has it that the God of Literature and the God of Wealth, after drinking a few too many cups of celestial wine at the Queen Mother of the West’s birthday banquet, stole a jug of liquor and descended to a small hill behind a town called “Fengrun” in Tangshan, Hebei, to enjoy a private drink. But their “antics” were entirely spotted by the all-seeing Buddha, who then dispatched Shakyamuni Buddha and Amitabha Buddha, along with the likes of the Heavenly General Erlang and Skanda Bodhisattva, among more than ten other bodhisattvas and revered deities, to search for them. Later, worried that the two might remain drunk and unconscious, Guanyin Bodhisattva and the Medicine Buddha, known for dispelling disasters and extending life, were also sent to help them “sober up”... This shows the compassionate and merciful heart of the Buddha, and for this reason, Lingxiao Temple has continued to enshrine these dozen or so bodhisattvas.

Historical records indicate that Lingxiao Temple enjoyed great prosperity during the Tang Dynasty. Because the remedies offered by Guanyin Bodhisattva and the Medicine Buddha were both “effective” and “healing,” the temple was originally named “Lingxiao Temple” (Temple of Spiritual Relief). Due to its connection with the heavens, it was later named “Lingxiao Temple” (Temple Soaring to the Heavens). Every year, up to three million people would come here to worship the bodhisattvas and seek the secrets of “dispelling disasters and extending life.” Many scholars and poets also visited, leaving behind numerous poems in praise of the temple. A famous poet of the Tang Dynasty, during a time of hardship, once wrote a poem here. Lingxiao Temple was destroyed multiple times during wars after the Song Dynasty and underwent several restorations. The last time it was destroyed was during a war in the Ming Dynasty when it was burnt to ashes by fire, and it was never rebuilt afterward.

In 2004, based on historical records, the Religious Association of Tangshan City, Hebei Province, reported to the local government with a request to rebuild “Lingxiao Temple.” With strong support from local enterprises and citizens, the temple was reconstructed and reopened to the public in 2005. The newly built Lingxiao Temple is located on a small hilltop in Fengrun District, Tangshan City, Hebei Province. Although the overall area of the temple is not very large, it is “small but complete.” The temple complex includes a bell tower, a drum tower, a gatehouse, an archway, as well as halls dedicated to Guanyin, the God of Wealth, and the Great Buddha Hall.