Guangde Chan Temple

Guangde Chan Temple

Guangde Chan Temple is a cultural relic protection unit of Guangdong Province.

Guangde Chan Temple is located at No. 26 Guangde Alley, Jieshi Town, Lufeng City. The temple was first built during the Southern Song Dynasty, rebuilt in the 28th year of the Wanli reign in the Ming Dynasty, and renovated in the 48th year of the Kangxi reign in the Qing Dynasty.

The temple was originally designed with a layout of three bays, four courtyards, plus left and right corridor wings. The surviving structures include the first three courtyards from the Qing Dynasty, covering an area of over 2,000 square meters, with an actual built-up area of over 500 square meters. The site retains over 30 stone inscriptions from the Qing Dynasty, as well as numerous Buddha statues, couplets, wood carvings, and other religious and historical relics. These artifacts hold significant scientific value for the study of the politics, economy, culture, folklore, and architecture of eastern Guangdong during the Ming and Qing periods.

In the 28th year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty (1590), Li Shi, a prominent native of Jieshi who held official positions such as Hanlin Academy Shujishi (junior compiler), Nanjing Censorate Censor, and Beijing Surveillance Censor, relocated the Yongxing Ancient Temple to the southeast of Shiqiao Field Tucheng—now the Guanyin Hall of Guangde She—due to his nostalgic memories of studying by lamplight in the old temple. He oversaw the grand reconstruction of the temple, naming it "Guangde Chan Temple." Calligraphy remnants by Li Shi can still be found on-site.

In the 48th year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1709), Liu Guoxing, the magistrate of Jieshi Town, carried out renovations. According to surviving inscriptions, in the 19th year of the Daoguang reign (1839), under the initiative of Liang Delu, commander of the Zhongjun Yaobu (central army garrison) of the Jieshi Biao (Jieshi military district), and presided over by Huang Gui, the Jieshi garrison commander, a large-scale restoration project was undertaken with generous donations of funds and materials from local officials such as Liu Dazhong (commander of Xiangshan Yaobing), Zeng Fengnian (garrison commander of Dengzhou, Shandong), Wenxian (commander of the Guangdong Navy), Bo Chengbi (garrison commander of Langya Mountain, Jiangnan), Cheng Engao (commander of the Fujian Navy), as well as soldiers from the various banner camps of Jieshi Wei, and residents from local communities, villages, and towns. Another major renovation took place in the 25th year of the Guangxu reign (1889).

On November 8, 2008, the General Office of the People's Government of Guangdong Province issued the "Notice on the Announcement of the Fifth Batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units," listing Guangde Chan Temple among them.

Jieshi Town: With a long history, Jieshi Town has long been a key coastal defense stronghold, with fortifications established here since the Song Dynasty to safeguard the borders. In the 22nd year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty (1389), Jieshi Wei (Jieshi military garrison) was established as one of the 36 nationwide wei, ranking alongside renowned ones such as Tianjin Wei and Shenyang Wei. Hence its name, derived from its coastal landform features, Jieshi is one of the three major towns in Lufeng City. Located in the southern part of Lufeng City, Jieshi Town borders Jieshi Bay to the east and faces Jinxia Town across the water. The town covers a total area of 120 square kilometers, with a coastline stretching 40.3 kilometers and a total population of over 170,000. It governs 41 village (neighborhood) committees. In 2000, the town’s gross domestic product was 8... More detailed information about Jieshi Town++

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units