Zizhong Ningguo Temple

Zizhong Ningguo Temple

Zizhong Ningguo Temple is a national AAA-level tourist attraction and cultural tourism destination.

Zizhong Ningguo Temple was first built in the fifth year of the Jian’an era during the Eastern Han Dynasty (200 AD) and is known as the “Foremost Zen Forest in Bashu.” It is the final resting place of the Sandalwood Robe and was where the Third Prince of the ancient Silla Kingdom (present-day Korea) practiced Buddhism for 14 years. With its long history and Buddhist cultural heritage, Ningguo Temple has had significant influence across Sichuan and even the nation. However, it suffered damage in the 1950s. In an effort to further promote its rich historical and Buddhist legacy, convert these valuable resources into cultural capital, showcase its grandeur, and inject new vitality into Zizhong’s tourism, the county launched a restoration project in 2006. The three-year project cost nearly 10 million yuan.

Initial Construction: Built in the fifth year of the Jian’an era during the Eastern Han Dynasty, originally named Dechun Temple.

Prosperity:

During the Tang Dynasty, it remained known as Dechun Temple. Empress Wu Zetian bestowed upon it the name “Bodhi Path Field.” In the early Tang Dynasty, after Zen Buddhism split into the Northern School led by Shenxiu and the Southern School under Huineng, the Bao Tang Zen sect founded by Zhishen neither aligned with the South nor the North. It was the first to introduce Zen Buddhism to Sichuan, and thus Ningguo Temple is revered as its ancestral temple and also referred to as the “Foremost Zen Forest in Bashu.” The four ancestral masters of the Bao Tang Zen sect all originated from the Tang Dynasty, contributing significantly to the Buddhist cause in Sichuan and even China. This period marked the temple’s peak prosperity.

In the Song Dynasty, Dechun Temple was officially renamed Ningguo Temple; in the early Northern Song Dynasty, Emperor Taizong personally inscribed the phrase “Fairy Grass and Lingzhi” and had it hung inside the temple.

In the early Southern Song Dynasty, Ningguo Temple still enjoyed great renown. Qin Hui, in pursuit of legitimacy, collected omens from across the land—including the “fairy grass and lotus roots” from Zizhong Ningguo Temple.

Decline

In the seventh year of the Tianshun era of the Ming Dynasty, during the reign of Emperor Yingzong (1463 AD), Ningguo Temple was rebuilt. When the leader of the peasant rebels Zhang Xianzhong entered Sichuan around 1644 AD (late Ming Dynasty), he set the thousand-year-old temple ablaze, reducing it completely to ashes. The architectural layout preserved before its 2007 reconstruction largely reflects that of this period.

After the Ming Dynasty, due to the decline of Zen culture in Zizhong, Ningguo Temple gradually lost its influence and declined accordingly. By the late 1940s, the temple was repurposed as an agricultural middle school. During the War of Resistance, the Republican government established the Second Administrative Supervisory Office of Sichuan Province here. From the 1950s through the 1970s, numerous political movements led to the destruction of most of the temple’s relics and artifacts. Over time, due to age and exposure to wind and weather, the structure became critically endangered.

Rebirth

To promote Buddhist culture and revive Zen tourism in Zizhong, the county’s Party Committee and government decided to restore Ningguo Temple to its former glory as one of the renowned temples of Western Sichuan and bring this thousand-year-old sacred site back to life. In 2006, the government funded the relocation of the villagers living onsite, acquired surrounding land, constructed access roads, and carried out environmental greening. Master Qingde, Vice President of the Sichuan Buddhist Association and one of China’s Eight Great Contemporary Eminent Monks—a native of Zizhong—returned to his hometown at the age of 82 and courageously took on the responsibility of fully restoring Ningguo Temple. He raised over 8 million yuan, completed the thorough renovation of all five halls, and held a grand ceremony for the completion of the restoration and the consecration of the Buddha statues on November 11, 2009. This temple, which has endured centuries of turmoil, now shines with renewed Buddhist light and has been reborn through nirvana.

Protected Area: Extends 20 meters beyond the temple’s grounds.

Construction Control Zone: Extends 20 meters east, south, and north from the protected area, and 50 meters west to Tongziwan Road.