Fuyun Temple

Fuyun Temple

Fuyun Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

About a kilometer north of Hedi Village in Yuci lies an earthen ridge called Dazhaiding, an extension of the southern range of the Han Mountains. Stretching over a thousand meters in length and about a hundred meters in width, the ridge splits into two bundles in the middle, resembling a gourd hanging from what looks like a giant vine running east-west across the Han Mountains — a formation poetically dubbed the “Golden Thread Suspended Gourd.” The “Golden Thread Suspended Gourd” is traditionally considered an auspicious site. Moreover, to its east, south, and west, it is embraced by the convergence of the Lǐyáogōu River from the east and the Zhíhégōu Stream from the west, forming a geomantic layout symbolic of prosperity — “emerald waters cradling the ridge, a jade belt encircling the waist” and “two rivers flanking one ridge, sure to birth a wealthy house.” This amplifies its already fortuitous feng shui. Since ancient times, temples have been built on famous mountains, and auspicious sites are no exception. It is said that a Buddhist temple once stood on this “Golden Thread Suspended Gourd” of Dazhaiding. But as time passed and eras shifted, the temple perished, its steles lost, and its history faded into obscurity.

The Three Rebuildings of Fuyun Temple

Auspicious sites naturally attract vitality. In the autumn of 2002, devout Buddhists Zhao Xinfu and Bai Baoyun, inspired by their faith in Buddhist culture, contributed 400,000 yuan to rebuild the Mahavira Hall on the original temple site of Dazhaiding. The new hall included three rooms housing statues of the Buddhas of the Past, Present, and Future. They also constructed twelve office rooms, thirty-six steps for the main hall’s Sumeru pedestal and the temple gate, along with temple walls, restoring the old layout. By the eighth day of the third lunar month the following year — the date of the traditional temple fair — the project was completed, the Buddha statues were consecrated, the temple fair was revived, and the site was officially registered as a legal religious activity venue. The local community rejoiced, drawing large crowds. The surrounding hills seemed peaceful and wreathed in auspicious clouds. Moved by the scene, the author named the temple “Fuyun Temple” (Temple of Blessing Clouds), composed a commemorative inscription documenting the grand occasion, preserving the merits, and passing on the legacy.

The power of the auspicious site quickly became evident. Inspired and encouraged, Zhao Xinfu resolved to develop Buddhist cultural tourism and expand Fuyun Temple. From April 2003 to the eighth day of the third lunar month in 2005, Zhao Xinfu and Bai Baoyun invested over two million yuan to add one wing hall each on the east and west sides of the Mahavira Hall, a five-room Bodhisattva Hall featuring statues of Guanyin and the Eighteen Arhats, a five-room Kṣitigarbha Hall with statues of the Kṣitigarbha King and the Ten Kings of Hell, a three-room Heavenly King Hall with statues of the Four Heavenly Kings, Amitabha Buddha, and Skanda, as well as a bell tower and a drum tower. To the east of the Bodhisattva Hall, they added six cave-style monks’ quarters, plus twenty-four rooms for offices, dining halls, and meditation rooms forming a side courtyard. To the south of the main temple and side courtyard, they built twenty cave-style lay practitioners’ residences, and further south, a three-room Hall 0. The total construction area reached over two thousand square meters. Additionally, the temple grounds were fully paved with stone bricks, and the steps were built from bluestone, the longest of which had 108 steps — the most in any temple in Yuci. The entire temple and ridge were landscaped with thousands of trees including pines, cypresses, willows, and jujubes. With this, Fuyun Temple took shape. On the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month, during Buddhist festivals, and especially on the temple fair of the eighth day of the third lunar month, devotees gathered in great numbers, incense burning continuously. It became one of the most serene and pleasant Buddhist sites in Yuci. Deeply moved, the author authored a book titled Fuyun Temple, printed ten thousand copies to spread its merit, preserve its history, and leave a record for posterity.

As the temple flourished, the developers’ faith grew stronger. From April 2005 to the eighth day of the third lunar month in 2011 (the temple fair date), Zhao Xinfu and Duan Hailin invested over twenty million yuan, inviting Zheng Yanchen, general manager of the Gujian Construction Team from Dai County, to assist with design and painting, to further renovate Fuyun Temple and establish it as a premium Buddhist cultural tourism destination. While preserving the existing Bodhisattva Hall, Kṣitigarbha Hall, Heavenly King Hall, Lay Practitioners’ Residences, and Hall 0, they rebuilt the two-story, five-room Mahavira Hall, blending ancient and modern Buddhist architectural styles in one structure. They also reconstructed the three-story, forty-eight-room side courtyard monks’ quarters, integrating multiple functions such as monks’ dormitories, dining halls, and meditation rooms. The statues of the Four Heavenly Kings in the Heavenly King Hall were remade. Six courtyards of twelve cave-style retreat huts were added, as were the West Garden (fountain garden), East Lake (release lake), and Lotus Pond. A one-kilometer road leading to the temple was paved with cement, and twenty acres of land behind the temple were leveled to lay the foundation for future expansion. The author was invited again to compose an inscription documenting the third expansion. Thus, Fuyun Temple underwent nine years of construction through three phases: restoration, expansion, and refinement.

The Exquisitely Magnificent Mahavira Hall

After nine years and three phases of construction, Fuyun Temple — historically consisting of just a single hall and gate — has now become a sizable and renowned Buddhist temple in Yuci, comprising ten components: the main temple, monks’ quarters, lay practitioners’ residences, retreat caves, Hall 0, West Garden, East Lake, a thousand-mu orchard, and Lotus Pond. Especially striking is the newly built Mahavira Hall, which alone cost over ten million yuan. The hall stands sixteen meters and 180 centimeters tall, thirty meters and 20 centimeters wide, and thirteen meters and 60 centimeters deep, making it grand in scale. Inside, it houses golden statues of the Buddhas of the Past, Present, and Future, each four meters and 88 centimeters tall, seated on pedestals inlaid with blue-lavender stone reliefs of auspicious flowers, birds, mythical beasts, and animals. On the east and west sides are blue-lavender stone carvings of the Eight Great Bodhisattvas, with the pedestals inlaid with reliefs of 500 Arhats. The hall walls display colored plaques embedded with images of 82 accomplished masters. The floor is paved with black marble, spacious enough to accommodate 400 people for chanting. The exterior of the hall features a Sumeru pedestal and stone railings at the base, with the main hall above. Both the pedestal and railings are made of blue-lavender stone, their surfaces on all sides inlaid with 108 reliefs depicting the Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars, as well as auspicious landscapes, figures, flowers, and birds. At the center of the platform in front of the pedestal sits a large blue-lavender stone relief incense burner, with steps on the east, west, and south sides. The central section of the southern steps is inlaid with a blue-lavender stone relief of a dragon with nine loops. Stone lion statues stand on both sides of the steps, their bases inlaid with floral and landscape reliefs. Twenty-four blue-lavender stone pillars support the double-eaved roof, with the front eight carved in relief with coiling dragons exuding majesty. Between the east-west sides, the rear polished blue-lavender stone pillars and the hall walls are adorned with 48 exquisite rotating golden prayer cylinders, shimmering brilliantly and encircling the hall in a magnificent display. On both sides of the hall doors are inlaid blue-lavender stone relief panels. The roof features double eaves covered in golden tiles, with golden statues of 0 and deer atop the eaves, a golden spire at the ridge, along with a roc and other auspicious beasts. Each of the eight corners of the double eaves is adorned with flying golden dragons, while the bracket arms and hanging columns are decorated with golden elephants and dragons. The design is grand, the materials precious, the craftsmanship exquisite, the overall effect magnificent — arguably the finest example of a northern Buddhist temple main hall, and a premier cultural tourism attraction in Yuci’s Buddhist scene.

Nine Years of Construction, a Revitalized Ancient Temple. Golden Buddhas, compassionate and solemn. Blue-lavender stone carvings, exquisitely sublime. Ancient architecture and folk art, rich in cultural heritage. Time serves as brush, highlighting virtue and extolling the temple. Fuyun Temple — truly worth a visit.

At 8:30 AM on April 10, 2011 (the eighth day of the third lunar month), the consecration ceremony for the newly rebuilt Mahavira Hall of Fuyun Temple in Hedi Village, Wujinshan Town, Yuci District — reconstructed with an investment of over ten million yuan — was held, along with a Water and Land Dharma Assembly attended by 108 eminent monks. The Mahavira Hall, with its grand architecture, majestic golden statues of the Three Buddhas, and exquisite blue-lavender stone carvings, represents the three highlights of Fuyun Temple’s architectural artistry. Thanks to these, Fuyun Temple’s Buddhist cultural tourism shines even more brilliantly.