Chongqing Temple in Xinyu

　　    Since ancient times, Xinyu in Jiangxi has been a land of natural bounty and exceptional people. It boasts a history of Buddhist propagation that predates the establishment of the county itself, as well as a long-standing Buddhist cultural tradition. As Buddhism spread eastward, it flourished across the land of China, and the Xinyu region was also blessed by the dharma’s grace, giving rise to successive generations of eminent monks and Buddhist masters. Majestic mountains and ancient temples, treasured monasteries and Zen forests emerged like bamboo shoots after rain. Among them, the most renowned is the time-honored, millennium-old Chongqing Temple, which has weathered the trials of history.

　　    Originally located about a hundred paces outside the west gate of Xinyu County (now within the nursery of Xinyu Iron and Steel Complex), Chongqing Temple was first established during the Daye era (611 AD) of the Sui Dynasty, when a local named Tang Xing converted his residence into a temple, naming it Tangxing Temple. Between 968–976 AD in the Kaibao era of the Song Dynasty, it was renamed Anhe Temple, and in 980 AD, the fifth year of the Taiping Xingguo era, it was bestowed the name “Chongqing Temple.” Being close to Longquan (Dragon Spring), it was also called Longquan Mountain. In the mid-to-late Yuan Dynasty, Chongqing Temple underwent renovations. The poet Fu Ruojin praised the newly renovated temple in two of his travel poems, lauding its solemn and wondrous scenery: “Vermilion pillars gleam through spider webs, blue lotuses mirror the jade terrace” and “At dawn, monks’ staffs fly halfway up the peak; celestial realms bloom day and night.” In the 22nd year of the Yuan Dynasty (1352 AD), the temple was destroyed in wartime chaos. It was rebuilt in 1370 AD, the third year of the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty, including the Front Heavenly King Hall, the Mahavira Hall, the Rear Vairocana Pavilion, the Flower Rain Terrace, and the bell and drum towers on the left and right. To the east it connected with the Lantang Scholarly Society, and to the west it leaned against the Muyu Mountain ridge, making it the most scenic spot in the region. A local resident, Liu Song, composed a couplet in its praise: “The ancient Dragon Spring Temple connects mountain to town; the empty Flower Rain Hall lets moonlight touch the bells.”