Xixin Temple

　　A national AAA-level tourist attraction, located on the picturesque Sheyang Island in Sheyang County, covering an area of 8 hectares. Originally named Zhelong Temple and Xixin Nunnery, it was first built during the Ming Dynasty's Wanli era (1573–1620) and ranked among the "Three Pavilions, Nine Temples, Four Taoist Shrines, and Seventy-Two Nunneries" of the Yanfu region during the Ming and Qing dynasties. In 1929, the 13th patriarch of the Pure Land Sect—Master Yin Guang, who was also one of the leaders of the Republic of China’s 40th Division—served as the abbot, ushering in a period of great prosperity. The temple was later destroyed in war. It was rebuilt in 1993, with Venerable Mingshan, then Vice President of the Buddhist Association of China, invited to serve as the first abbot. The current abbot, Venerable Liaochen, is the Vice President of the Jiangsu Buddhist Association and President of the Yancheng Buddhist Association. After more than 20 years of development, the temple has constructed major facilities including the Mahavira Hall, the Hall of 500 Arhats, the Ten Thousand Buddhas Pagoda, and the Xixin Vegetarian Restaurant. With its grand architecture, well-organized monastic community, lush ginkgo trees, and flocks of birds, it has become a Buddhist cultural sanctuary integrating tourism, spiritual practice, and cultural exchange. It enjoys national renown and international influence, and is honored with titles such as “Blessed Land of the Yellow Sea,” “Foremost Buddhist Temple of Jianghuai,” and “National Harmonious Temple.” In 2010, it was awarded the title of “Advanced Collective” in the first national campaign to create harmonious temples, monasteries, and churches by the State Administration for Religious Affairs. The temple’s annual Buddhist events—including the New Year Blessing Ceremony, the God of Wealth Ceremony on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, the Ten Thousand Buddhas Cultural Arts Festival, and the Guanyin Birthday Temple Fair—attract eminent monks, devotees, government officials, businesspeople, and tourists from Jiangsu, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Shandong, Henan, as well as Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

　　Source: Yancheng Municipal Committee Party History Research Office of the CPC