Tianjin Lay Buddhists' Forest

　　Tianjin Lay Buddhists' Forest is located at No. 669 Chengxiang Middle Road, Nankai District, southeast of the Drum Tower, covering an area of 752.27 square meters, with a building area of 700.52 square meters. It consists of the Main Buddha Hall and side halls, built during the late Qing Dynasty and early Republican era.

　　The predecessor of the Lay Buddhists' Forest was the "Qingxiu Monastery," originally the family temple of Li Chuncheng, known as one of Tianjin's Eight Great Families — the "Li Philanthropist." In 1917, the Li family invited Monk Qingchi from Zifu Temple in Huairou County, Beijing, to preside over the Qingxiu Monastery. Xu Shichang, then President of the Beiyang Government, inscribed the plaque “Qingxiu Chan Monastery.” Later, during the warlord era, the Zhili–Shandong Allied Army occupied Tianjin and closed the Qingxiu Monastery. After the fall of the Beiyang Government in 1928, the Qingxiu Chan Monastery returned to the Li family. In 1933, Lian Yunpeng, together with Sun Chuanfang and others, negotiated with Li Chuncheng’s eldest grandson, Li Songju, to convert the Qingxiu Chan Monastery into the “Tianjin Buddhist Lay Buddhists' Forest.” Lian Yunpeng served as the head of the forest, Sun Chuanfang as the deputy head, and also proclaimed himself the “Chief Lay Buddhist.” It was stipulated that lay Buddhists would gather every Sunday to recite scriptures, with Master Fuming giving the sermons. At that time, the number of believers was very large, exceeding a thousand.

　　After 1948, Master Bao Han took over as abbot. In 1950, Lian Yunpeng passed away. The Lay Buddhists' Forest was closed in 1952. During the Cultural Revolution, it was damaged and later converted into a street-run factory. In 1982, under the care of the Nankai District People’s Government, the street-run factory was relocated, the Lay Buddhists' Forest was rebuilt, restored to its original appearance, and Buddhist activities resumed.

　　The Lay Buddhists' Forest enshrines two gilded bronze Buddha statues, “Vairocana” and the Bodhisattva Manjushri, which were cast during the Ming Dynasty’s Xuande era. They were moved to the Great Compassion Temple during the Cultural Revolution and were returned to the Lay Buddhists' Forest on February 24 of the following year after the restoration was completed in December 1982.