Meian Temple

　　Meian Temple was first built in the second year of the Zhi Dao era of the Song Dynasty (996 AD). According to records, when Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch of Zen Buddhism, passed through Zhaoqing on his way back to Xinxing from a trip, he planted a plum tree on this hill as a memento. Later, Monk Zhiyuan built a temple at the very spot where Huineng had planted the plum tree to commemorate his master, naming it Meian (Plum Temple) to honor that memory. The temple covers an area of 5,000 square meters, with a built-up area of 1,400 square meters, and is enclosed by protective walls. The main structures include the mountain gate, Mahavira Hall, Sixth Patriarch Hall, front and rear courtyards, and front and rear corridors. Ancillary buildings include the platform in front of the temple, the Sixth Patriarch Well, and side structures such as Zhongyuan Hall, Quanxiang Room, Changguang Pavilion, Liuyun Pavilion, the Stele Corridor, and the Plum Garden.

　　During the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty (1522–1566), Meian Temple was converted into the Xia Gong Ancestral Hall, and all Buddhist statues were discarded and left exposed at the back of the temple. After the first year of the Wanli era (1573), monks undertook seven major renovations and expansions of the temple and carried out gilding on the Buddha statues twice. In 1995, following a comprehensive renovation and expansion, Meian Temple took on a completely renewed appearance: in front of the mountain gate, newly planted authentic Indian bodhi trees stand lush and evergreen under their broad canopies; the Plum Garden bursts into bloom every spring, with branches weighed down by fragrant blossoms; a newly built fresco room displays a grand scroll depicting the arduous journey of the Sixth Patriarch Huineng in his pursuit of enlightenment; within the Sixth Patriarch Hall, the restored statue of the Sixth Patriarch sits serenely in the central shrine, with its golden body and copper face radiating brilliance—truly embodying the spirit of "the bodhi has no form but returns to the true origin; the bright mirror is not a stand, witnessing the emptiness of forms."

　　Meian Temple is one of the oldest wooden structures in Guangdong Province. The Mahavira Hall, in particular, retains the architectural style of the Song Dynasty in its beams and bracket sets, making it a precious relic of Northern Song architecture in the Jiangnan region. The bracket sets of the Mahavira Hall feature a seven-puzuo design, with double ang and three downward ang, extending a total projection length of 120 fen, ranking among the highest in the country. The bracket arm tips have no bracket lobes, preserving the ancient style before the publication of the Song Dynasty’s Yingzao Fashi (Treatise on Architectural Methods); the base of the brackets features plate engravings, maintaining pre-mid-Tang traditions. Furthermore, the brackets still retain bracket pegs and ang pegs—a rare and distinctive feature seldom seen elsewhere in the country.

　　Meian Temple was built to enshrine the Sixth Patriarch Huineng and holds considerable significance in Buddhist history. More importantly, the architecture of Meian Temple has great scientific research value in terms of structural design, artistic expression, and construction techniques in ancient Chinese architecture.

Meian Temple