The Sealed Stone Chamber of Yuantong Temple

The Sealed Stone Chamber of Yuantong Temple

The Sealed Stone Chamber of Yuantong Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

The Sealed Stone Chamber of Yuantong Temple is located about 80 meters northeast of Yuantong Temple on Qifeng Mountain in Jiaqiao Town, Taoyuan County. It is an affiliated structure of Yuantong Temple, built with blue stone slabs. The entrance is a 0.7-meter square opening. It extends vertically about 3 meters down to a rectangular stone chamber, which measures 3 meters in length and 1.5 meters in width. It was historically used to confine monks who violated monastic rules. Yuantong Temple was first built in the 6th year of the Wude era of the Tang Dynasty (623 AD). During its peak years of prosperity, the temple complex stretched for dozens of miles and was known as a Zen Buddhist monastery. Later, it suffered repeated damage from wars but was rebuilt each time. Today, only the stone chamber remains.