Gaocheng Tiantai Temple

Gaocheng Tiantai Temple

Tiantai Temple is located about one li from Qingliu Village in Gaocheng City, Hebei Province, on the south side of National Highway 307. The temple was founded during the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty, over 1,400 years ago. At that time, the Fourth Patriarch of the Tiantai Sect, Master Zhang’an Guanding, preached the "Lotus Sutra of the Great Vehicle" here, demonstrating unmatched eloquence. According to legend, celestial flowers rained down and the earth shook with awe-inspiring momentum — “a precious platform emerged from the ground, shaped like a lotus.” Later, Tiantai Temple was built atop this lotus-shaped platform, which rose over four zhang (approximately 13 meters) high. It once served as the only site in northern China promoting the Tiantai Buddhist sect. Due to the frequent fog on the Central Hebei Plain and the temple’s location on a high cliff, it often remained shrouded in mist, visible only when the clouds cleared. Hence, the royal court bestowed upon it the character “霁” (meaning “clear after rain”) and named it “Tiantai Jisi” (Tiantai Clearing Temple). The “Tiantai Clear Moon” was once a renowned local spectacle, inspiring many historical figures to compose poems about the temple. The temple complex includes a Mahavira Hall, Guanyin Hall, Maitreya Hall, Ksitigarbha Hall, bell and drum towers, an abbot’s quarters, a chanting hall, and a dharma hall. It was home to hundreds of resident monks, flourished with incense offerings, and was world-renowned for its grand scale. Inside Tiantai Temple, there are still preserved statues from the Tang Dynasty, including a precious dragon turtle, the Eighteen Arhats, the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, and the Maitreya Buddha. The site also houses numerous cultural relics and historic sites both within and around the temple, renowned far and wide.

Due to historical reasons, Tiantai Temple experienced multiple periods of prosperity and decline, falling into neglect at times. During the Republican reform era, it was completely destroyed. In the 1950s, even the soil of the high platform was taken away to build an airport, leaving the thousand-year-old sacred site nearly wiped out. Witnesses couldn't help but sigh in sorrow and regret. After the implementation of the Party's religious policy in 1990, local devotees aspired to rebuild Tiantai Temple. However, due to financial constraints, their vision could not be realized. As a result, the golden images of the Buddha and various deities were left exposed to the elements, suffering from sun and rain — a heartbreaking sight for all who saw it.

It wasn’t until the year 2000 that Venerable Guotong passed by the site and, witnessing the desolate state of the once-glorious temple, was deeply moved. He resolved to rebuild it. With the support and care from provincial, municipal, and local governments, along with generous donations from eminent monastics and Dharma protectors from both China and abroad, as well as the sincere backing of local devotees, the conditions for the temple’s revival were finally met. A perimeter wall and mountain gate were erected, followed by a solemn Mahavira Hall, various Buddha and Bodhisattva shrines, and an Ancient Buddha Hall. In 2010, based on county annals records, the temple recast one of its original Three Treasures — a thousand-person bell (with the names of a thousand benefactors inscribed on its body). The bell and drum towers were also constructed, filling the temple grounds with the resonant sounds of morning bells and evening drums. Since then, the sacred site has regained dignity, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have found a proper dwelling, and the Dharma has been able to flourish once again.

Transportation Guide

Temple Address: Qingliu Village, Gaocheng City, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province

Transit Options: Take a taxi or minibus within Gaocheng County to reach Qingliu Village.