Zunhua Imperial Buddha Temple

Zunhua Imperial Buddha Temple

The Zunhua Imperial Buddha Temple is situated on Tashan in Malanyu Town, Zunhua City, adjacent to the famous UNESCO World Heritage site — the Qingdongling. It spans 18.46 mu, faces south, and its exact founding date is unknown, though it predates the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. Historically inhabited by monks, it is a Buddhist temple, but it originally enshrined mainly Taoist deities. Initially known as the "Yaowang Temple" (Temple of the Medicine King), it was dedicated to Sun Simiao, the Medicine King. During the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty, statues of the Three Sovereigns — Xuanyuan, Fuxi, and Shennong — were added and placed in the main hall, and the temple was renamed "Sanhuang Temple" (Three Sovereigns Temple). Buddhist facilities include the Bodhi Hall, scripture hall, and monastic quarters.

The temple underwent several renovations during the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty, the 38th year of the Kangxi reign in the Qing Dynasty, and the 5th year of the Guangxu reign in the Qing Dynasty, but it gradually fell into disrepair. In the early years of the People’s Republic of China, it served as a branch campus of a primary school, then as a dormitory for a middle school in the 1960s, and later as a laboratory and storage facility for a geological team during the 1970s and 1980s. In 1994, it was placed under the administration of the Qingdongling Cultural Relics Management Office. Since 1997, the office has restored parts of the temple according to its original design and constructed a 6.6-meter-tall semi-open-air statue of Sakyamuni Buddha and the Mountain of Five Hundred Arhats.

In April 2005, Master Yuansheng took up residence. In December 2006, with approvals from the Zunhua Municipal People’s Government, the Tangshan Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau, and the Hebei Provincial Ethnic and Religious Affairs Department, the site was officially designated as a religious activity venue and opened to the public. Its name was also standardized to “Imperial Buddha Temple” (folklore suggests it was once a place where Qing emperors worshipped). In April 2008, the Zunhua Buddhist Association was established, with its office located in this temple. After taking up residence, Master Yuansheng was determined to transform the site, which had been incongruous with the “world-class” cultural heritage of Qingdongling and confused in its mix of Buddhist and Taoist elements. He redesigned the temple according to the standards of a medium-sized Han Buddhism temple. The new layout includes a small bridge, memorial archway, grand gate, Heavenly King Hall, bell and drum towers, screen wall, side gate, Mahavira Hall, and Guanyin Hall, forming a three-hall structure. Side halls include the Medicine Buddha Hall, while the east courtyard is the stupa courtyard, and the west courtyard features a memorial archway, Sanhuang Hall (preserved for its historical and cultural significance), guest hall, chanting hall, Dharma distribution center, dining hall, Buddhist association offices, and the Mountain of Five Hundred Arhats. The Heavenly King Hall and bell and drum towers are newly built, while the Mahavira Hall, Guanyin Hall, Medicine Buddha Hall, and Sanhuang Hall have been renovated. Following the unified plan, the construction was carried out in two phases. The first phase, from July to October 2007, completed the chanting hall, dining hall, Buddhist association offices, and part of the monastic quarters. Due to complex institutional reasons, the second phase began in May 2012 and was completed in August, adding the Heavenly King Hall, bell and drum towers, and renovating the Mahavira Hall, Guanyin Hall, Medicine Buddha Hall, Sanhuang Hall, guest hall, and additional monastic quarters.

By August 2012, both construction phases were fully completed, and the temple regained most of its functions. The restoration process, intermittent over a span of 15 years, involved total investments exceeding 40 million yuan, breathing new life into this ancient temple in eastern Beijing. It is now a well-known temple in Tangshan City and has gained recognition both provincially and nationally. The temple’s pagoda, Yongwang Pagoda, built in the 10th year of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty (1582), is a provincial-level key cultural relics protection unit.

Transportation Guide

Address: Tashan, Malanyu Town, Zunhua City, Hebei Province

Getting There: Take a bus from Zunhua City to Malanyu, and after getting off at the Malanyu Bus Station, you can walk or take a taxi to the Sanhuang Temple to reach the site.