The Ruins of Kaiyuan Temple in Guilin

The Ruins of Kaiyuan Temple in Guilin

The Ruins of Kaiyuan Temple in Guilin is a cultural tourism attraction.

Located on Wanshou Lane, Minzhu Road in the city center. The temple was originally built during the Sui Dynasty and was initially named Yuanhua Temple. In the early Tang Dynasty, it was called Shanxing Temple. In the second year of the Xianqing era (657) of the Tang Dynasty, a stupa was constructed within the temple grounds. In the 26th year of the Kaiyuan era (738), the temple was renamed Kaiyuan Temple. During the Song Dynasty, it was renamed Yongning Temple and then Ningshou Temple. Emperor Shundi of the Yuan Dynasty inscribed the characters “Yuanjue” (Perfect Enlightenment), and thus it was also known as Yuanjue Temple. It was renamed Ningshou Temple again in the Ming Dynasty. During the Qing Dynasty, it was called Wanshou Temple, and after the Republic of China, it retained the name Kaiyuan Temple. According to the Lingui County Annals, as far back as the Tang Dynasty, Kaiyuan Temple was destroyed by a fire caused by oil lamps and was later rebuilt. In the second year of the Hongwu era (1369) of the Ming Dynasty, it was once again destroyed by fire and was reconstructed in the 16th year of Hongwu (1383). In the 15th year of the Shunzhi era (1658) and the 57th year of the Qianlong era (1792) of the Qing Dynasty, Xian Guoan and Li Yimin successively carried out renovations. Kaiyuan Temple was a renowned temple in Guilin’s history. In the seventh year of the Tianbao era (748) of the Tang Dynasty, the monk Jianzhen, on his fifth attempt to sail east to Japan (Fusang), was forced to detour to Guilin due to setbacks, and stayed at the temple for over a year with dozens of others, including the Japanese monks Eiei and Fushō. However, by the late Qing Dynasty, the temple had fallen into disrepair and become a site for storing coffins. Today, only the stupa remains. Most of the temple buildings have been destroyed or repurposed.