Nengren Chan Temple

Nengren Chan Temple

Nengren Chan Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

First built in the second year of the Tianjian era of the Liang Dynasty (503), it has a history of over 1,400 years. During the Tang Dynasty, when Buddhism flourished, Lu Zhi, a Hanlin academician during Emperor Dezong’s reign, donated his residence to serve as the foundation for the temple, which was then called Fuye Yuan, and later renamed Baoguo Yuan. In the first year of the Dazhong Xiangfu era of the Song Dynasty (1008), it was renamed Chengtian Yuan, and in the seventh year of the Zhenghe era (1117), it became known as Nengren Yuan. In the sixteenth year of the Zhi Zheng era under Emperor Shundi of the Yuan Dynasty (1356), it was destroyed in war. In the twenty-fourth year of the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty (1391), it was renamed Nengren Jiao Si, rebuilt in the second year of the Zhengtong era (1437), and called Nengren Chan Si in the second year of the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty (1737).

The Nengren Temple features majestic halls and a grand atmosphere, surrounded by water on all sides, covering an area of over 70 acres. The temple faces south and is slightly rectangular in shape, with its main structures aligned along a north-south axis and extending to both east and west sides. The mountain gate faces directly toward Tianxian Bridge. To the north of the gate are the Jinze Hall, the Mahavira Hall, and the Huayan Pavilion. In front of the Vajra Hall stand two towering ginkgo trees and a pair of brick pagodas. To the east of the main hall is the Xuan Gong Ancestral Hall, built in honor of Lu Zhi, while to the west are the Luban Hall and the Gongde Forest. In front of the main hall are the bell tower and the drum tower. The temple grounds are dotted with monks’ quarters and meditation rooms. There are a total of twelve meditation halls and over a hundred monks, making it a renowned temple far and wide.

Having endured a thousand years of history and experienced multiple rises and declines, Nengren Temple also has many touching stories. In the late Qing Dynasty, a devastating fire unfortunately destroyed the temple once again. At that time, Qiu, the wife of the traditional Chinese medicine practitioner Shen Jiliang, donned monastic robes, carried the statue of Skanda on her back, and beat a wooden fish as she knelt and prayed every three steps along the street, traveling to the nearby Nandang Town to raise funds. After 49 days, she finally moved the wealthy donors and secured support to rebuild the Mahavira Hall. In 1938, during the Japanese invasion, the temple was once again burned down by fire. The only surviving ruins were the foundation of the Huayan Pavilion and the Silkworm Emperor Hall, which have been recently reconstructed by relevant organizations. Soon, we will once again be able to witness the former grandeur of Nengren Temple.