Xiantong Temple on Mount Wutai

Xiantong Temple on Mount Wutai

Xiantong Temple on Mount Wutai is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Former name of Xiantong Temple: Originally built during the Yongping era of Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty, it was initially named Dafu Lingjiu Temple. It was expanded during the Northern Wei Dynasty, rebuilt in the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, and renamed to Dahua Yan Temple. It was renovated during the reign of Emperor Hongwu (Zhu Yuanzhang) of the Ming Dynasty and bestowed the plaque “Daxiantong Temple.” Emperor Chengzu (Zhu Di) of the Ming Dynasty named it “Dajixiang Xiantong Temple,” and Emperor Shenzong (Zhu Yijun) later bestowed the plaque “Dahuguo Shengguang Yongming Temple,” abbreviated as Yongming Temple. In the 26th year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1687 AD), it was renamed again to Daxiantong Temple, the name it retains to this day.

Highlights: Precious cultural relics: Xiantong Temple houses many valuable historical relics. On either side of the mountain gate’s exterior are stone steles, each carved with the shapes of a dragon and a tiger respectively, bearing the large characters “龙” (Dragon) and “虎” (Tiger), which are relics from the Tang Dynasty.

Xiantong Temple

The Mahavira Hall is where Buddhist ceremonies are held. At its center are statues of Sakyamuni, Amitabha, and Bhaisajyaguru. The entire hall is spacious, airy, and classic in style. The Hall of Infinite Life is a brick structure unique for having no beams or columns inside, and no eaves or porch outside—hence its other name, the “Beamless Hall.” It holds high artistic value. The inner walls feature a circular corridor from which the entire hall can be viewed from any point.

The Thousand-Armed and Thousand-Eyed Avalokiteshvara Hall enshrines a bronze statue of the Thousand-Armed and Thousand-Eyed Manjushri cast in the Ming Dynasty. The statue has five stacked heads, six arms on its chest, two of which hold a golden bowl in which sits the Sakyamuni Buddha. Its back extends one thousand arms, each holding a golden bowl containing a Sakyamuni Buddha—its design is very unique. The Bronze Hall was cast during the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty, is an 8.3-meter-high, 4.7-meter-wide, and 4.5-meter-deep bronze structure. The interior walls are covered with Buddha images, collectively called the "Ten Thousand Buddhas." The door panels are adorned with delicate patterns, flowers, and animals. Originally, there were five bronze pagodas in front of the Bronze Hall, symbolizing the Five Peaks; only two remain, both eight-sided and thirteen stories tall, exquisitely dainty and eye-catching.

In the bell tower in front of Xiantong Temple hangs the largest bronze bell on Mount Wutai, known as the Yueming Bell (Bell of Darkness). The exterior of the bell is engraved with a volume of regular-script Buddhist scriptures totaling over 10,000 characters. Due to its long resonant tone, it is also called the Long Ming Bell (Long Ringing Bell) or Chang Ming Bell (Long Life Bell).

The Scripture Depository preserves a Hua Yan Jing Character Tower, inscribed with the eighty volumes of the Avatamsaka Sutra—600,043 characters in total—written in tiny regular script on yellow and white silk measuring 1.8 zhang (approx. 6 meters) in length and 6 chi (approx. 2 meters) in width. This is a work from the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty. The depository also houses a bronze Zhantan Buddha statue from the Northern Wei Dynasty, the printed scriptures from Leifeng Pagoda of the Kaibao era of the Northern Song Dynasty, and paintings of the Eighteen Arhats on bodhi leaves from the Ming Dynasty, among other precious relics.

It is the largest and oldest temple on Mount Wutai, commonly referred to as the “Ancestral Temple.” Covering an area of 43,700 square meters, it currently has over 400 buildings of various sizes, most of which date from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Along with the White Horse Temple in Luoyang, it is among China’s earliest temples and is now listed as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit. The temple is located in the central area of Mount Wutai, at the foot of Bodhisattva Summit.

Yanglin Village: Located in the central area of the Buddhist holy site Mount Wutai, Yanglin Village administers four villager groups: Yanglin, Yingfang, Taiping Street, and Jinjiesi, with a total of 380 households and over 840 residents. The village has only 20 acres of arable land but boasts 2,648 acres of forested land. Leveraging its geographical advantages, Yanglin Village has consistently focused on tourism as its economic pillar. The village's total annual income reached 5.715 million yuan, including 3.935 million yuan from tourism. The per capita net income is 3,136 yuan. The village has 61 Party members and 25 active members were cultivated this year. During the 2005 election of the village branch and committee, ... Yanglin Village detailed information++

Further reading:

· Second Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units