Kaiyuan Temple in Chaozhou

Kaiyuan Temple in Chaozhou

Kaiyuan Temple is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Kaiyuan Temple is located on Kaiyuan Road in the urban area of Chaozhou City, Guangdong Province. Built in the 26th year of the Kaiyuan era during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty (738), it was called "Kaiyuan Wanshou Chan Temple" in the Yuan Dynasty, "Kaiyuan Zhenguo Chan Temple" in the Ming Dynasty, and both "Kaiyuan Zhenguo Chan Temple" and "Kaiyuan Temple" were used interchangeably after the Qing Dynasty. The temple has undergone renovations throughout the dynasties since its establishment. It currently covers an area of 20,000 square meters. The entire temple complex retains the layout from the Tang Dynasty and incorporates architectural art from the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. It enjoys flourishing incense offerings. During the Cultural Revolution, Kaiyuan Temple suffered severe damage. In 1982, overseas Chinese and compatriots from Hong Kong and Macau donated funds for a comprehensive restoration, bringing back the temple’s former glory.

Kaiyuan Temple is located in the center of Chaozhou City, Guangdong Province.

The predecessor of Kaiyuan Temple was Lifeng Temple. In the 26th year of the Kaiyuan era of the Tang Dynasty (738), Kaiyuan Temple was commissioned by imperial decree. It was renamed "Kaiyuan Wanshou Chan Temple" in the Yuan Dynasty, "Kaiyuan Zhenguo Chan Temple" in the Ming Dynasty, also known as "Zhenguo Kaiyuan Chan Temple," with the additional plaque "Wanshou Palace." The name "Kaiyuan Temple" has been commonly used ever since. The temple has long been known for praying for emperors’ blessings, promulgating government decrees, and is renowned for its spacious grounds, magnificent halls, solemn statues, abundant cultural relics, and thriving incense offerings. It is considered the foremost ancient temple in eastern Guangdong and is praised as the "Land of Blessings for a Million Homes, a Forest of Three Thousand Worlds."

Originally covering 100 acres upon construction, the temple has experienced many ups and downs over the dynasties; today, less than 40 acres remain. Through large-scale renovations in the Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing dynasties, and modern times—ten in total—the architectural layout is roughly divided into three parts: the central axis includes the screen wall, mountain gate, Heavenly King Hall, Mahavira Hall, scripture depository, and Jade Buddha Tower. The east side houses the guest hall, Kṣitigarbha Pavilion, dining hall, monks' quarters, Uncommon Retreat, and ancestral hall. The west side includes the abbot’s quarters, Guanyin Pavilion, Huìyè Hall, monks' quarters, Various Heavens Pavilion, forming a vast quadrangle-style ancient architectural complex. The main halls are built mainly with wood and stone materials, tightly joined with wooden dowels, supported by layered dragon-head bracket sets extending upwards, up to eleven tiers to bear the immense pressure of the roof. The roofs feature four layers of eaves and double drip tiles, adorned with chiwei (mythical beast) and twin dragons competing for treasure decorations, with colorful glazed tiles and vermilion walls, creating a spectacular sight. Having endured over 1,200 years of natural disasters such as earthquakes, tides, typhoons, lightning, and hail, as well as wars and human destruction, yet continuously restored, the temple still maintains the solemn and majestic architectural style of palaces from the Tang and Song dynasties. According to contemporary experts in ancient architecture: the architectural style of the Mahavira Hall at Japan’s famous Tōdai-ji Temple is identical to that of the current Heavenly King Hall at Kaiyuan Temple, confirming that the Heavenly King Hall is a Song Dynasty structure with high research value. Architecture schools from China and abroad often organize students to visit and study here, earning it the reputation of the “Pearl of Ancient Architectural Art.”

Cultural relics from the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing, and Republic of China periods in this temple were mostly destroyed during the ten-year turmoil of the Cultural Revolution, but many still remain: the four stone sutra pillars in front of the Heavenly King Hall and Mahavira Hall are 5 meters tall with 8 tiers and 7 meters with 25 tiers respectively, built by stacking stone-carved components. They were created when the temple was first built and have endured over 1,200 years. Though the stone surfaces are heavily eroded and images faded, the carvings—such as those of muscular guardians, inverted lotuses, and the twin dragons competing for treasure—as well as the inscriptions of the Cundi Mantra, Uṣṇīṣa Vijaya Dharani, and Sanskrit characters—are still faintly visible due to their clear lines and refined craftsmanship.

The 78 balustrades in front of the Mahavira Hall and the surrounding railings of the hall’s platform are carved with Buddhist stories such as "Siddhartha Gautama Leaving Home," "The White Horse Crossing the City," and "The Green Mountain Shaving the Head." Exquisite birds and beasts, rare flowers, and unusual plants are everywhere. At the center of the railing is a large stone tablet inscribed with "May the Buddha’s Light Shine Brighter, the Dharma Wheel Turn Everlasting; May Imperial Virtue Blow Forever, and the Emperor’s Rule Prosper Endlessly." Each character is as large as a dou (an ancient measurement), also representing Tang Dynasty Buddhist art relics.

Inside the main hall stands an elegantly crafted red copper incense burner. The rim of the burner is inscribed with Chinese characters: “A permanent offering of an incense burner from the meditation hall of Kaiyuan Temple, dedicated by the Korean disciple Im Gukjo.” (The Three Han refers to Silla, Baekje, and Goguryeo, corresponding to present-day Korea and North Korea.) It is said to have been gifted by a Korean monk who came here to study during the Tang Dynasty. In 1986, when Zhao Puchu, President of the Buddhist Association of China, visited the temple, he stopped to admire it for a long time.

Hanging on the east side of the hall is a large bronze bell weighing over 1,500 kilograms, standing 1.7 meters tall with a mouth diameter of 1.05 meters. It was cast and offered to Kaiyuan Temple in the 4th year of the Zhenghe era of the Song Dynasty (1114 AD) by the Chaozhou Diamond Sutra Society. The bell’s surface is smooth with no sand holes or casting marks, and it still produces a melodious sound, remaining as good as new.

The temple also houses a gold-lacquered wooden sculpture of a Thousand Buddha Pagoda, a fine example of Ming Dynasty wood carving from Chaozhou. The pagoda is six feet tall, hexagonal, and has seven tiers. The designs on each tier vary greatly, featuring golden tiles and upturned eaves, each adorned with wind bells. Doors face each other, railings intertwine, and within each arched doorway are carved Buddha statues, while the doorways feature carvings of the Eighteen Arhats and the Twenty-Four Devas. The top of the pagoda holds a five-tiered, exquisitely delicate small pagoda. The entire Thousand Buddha Pagoda has a complex structure and is intricately carved, making it one of the four such pagodas in ancient Guangdong.

The scripture depository houses a set of the Longzang (Dragon Treasury) from the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty. It consists of 7,240 volumes, divided into 724 cases, which were personally acquired by Venerable Jinghui, the abbot of Kaiyuan Temple at the age of 80 at the time, who braved wind, dew, frost, snow, and countless hardships to journey across mountains and rivers to the capital. Only 100 sets were printed that year, and very few complete sets remain today. In 1987, the National Cultural Heritage Administration and the National Press and Publication Administration approved the reprinting of the "Longzang." Due to Emperor Qianlong’s decree to destroy certain sutra blocks and texts, the full set was incomplete. To restore the missing parts, the Cultural Relics Publishing House sent personnel to over ten provinces and regions across the country to find original editions. Eventually, four cases of sutras destroyed under Qianlong’s decree were found here, allowing for their restoration—highlighting the extreme rarity and value of this collection.

In 2001, Kaiyuan Temple in Chaozhou, as an ancient architectural site from the Tang to Qing dynasties, was approved by the State Council to be included in the fifth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

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Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units