Guangfu Temple

　　   Guangfu Temple, anciently known as Guangfu Buddhist Temple and commonly called the East Temple, is situated in Mingdao Village on the northeastern outskirts of Hai’an Town, Jiangsu Province. To the south, it borders the newly constructed Tongyang Canal, to the southwest it leans against Fengshan Mountain and the tomb area of Mr. Han Guojun, to the west lies the planned Fengshan Park covering dozens of acres, to the northeast is the beautiful Zishi Middle School, and to the east is the broad Fengshan Avenue. Coupled with one of Hai’an’s renowned Ten Scenic Spots — “Early Morning at Fengshan” — the solemn morning and evening bells of the temple and its elegant, serene surroundings make Guangfu Temple a highly auspicious and picturesque site in Hai’an.

　　   In the 35th year of the Republic of China (1946), due to wartime conflict, parts of the temple buildings were demolished, but the Mahavira Hall remained. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, it was once used as the library of Hai’an County Middle School. In the 1980s, the People’s Government of Hai’an County, in an effort to strengthen the protection of ancient architecture, designated the Mahavira Hall as a county-level cultural relic protection unit. In 1992, a new site for Guangfu Temple was planned, and substantial funds were allocated. The reconstruction project was undertaken by Wuxi Ancient Architecture Company, which dismantled and rebuilt the Mahavira Hall on its current site following the original design. Adhering to the principles of unified planning, phased implementation, and ensuring authenticity, this historically enduring ancient temple has been restored into a still-significant religious site in central Jiangsu. This move also facilitated the implementation of national religious policies and ensured the freedom of religious belief for religious figures and Buddhist devotees.