Mangyue Leizangxiang Temple

　　Mangyue Leizangxiang Temple is situated among the hills 25 kilometers northwest of Shunha Village. Constructed in the mid-to-late 13th century, it has been rebuilt in 1880 and 1984. As one of the first Buddhist temples established during the early introduction of Theravada Buddhism to Dehong, it is also recognized as one of the eight great temples of Southeast Asia. According to Dai Buddhist scriptures, Leizangxiang was a key site where the Buddha rested, meditated, and preached during his time in Ruili.

　　The original temple was built with a brick-and-wood structure, featuring a post-and-lintel wooden frame, three bays in width and six in depth, and oriented west to east. In August 2012, the temple was reconstructed on its original site. Approximately 200 meters southeast of the temple stands a golden elephant pagoda cluster over 6 meters tall (originally a white elephant pagoda). In 1982, red bricks from the Ming Dynasty and Neolithic stone axes were unearthed within the temple grounds, followed by carbonized rice grains from the Tang Dynasty and pottery shards from the Warring States Period in 1990. In 2001, more than 300 uniquely shaped bronze and clay Buddha statues were excavated from the base of the old pagoda.

　　The cultural layer beneath the front slope of the main hall of the temple extends approximately 200 meters from east to west and 50 meters from north to south, covering an area of about 10,000 square meters. The stratigraphic deposit is about 1.4 meters thick and is divided into four layers from top to bottom. The first layer consists of reddish-brown soil, about 40 cm thick, mixed with modern pottery, porcelain, bricks, and tiles; the second layer is a grayish-brown soil layer, about 50 cm thick, with no artifacts found; the third layer is a relatively pure red soil layer with no artifacts; the fourth layer is a grayish-brown soil layer, about 30 cm thick, containing a small number of sandy coarse pottery shards. Below the fourth layer lies the virgin soil. The pottery shards are mainly sandy red and gray pottery, fired at low temperatures, brittle and soft, mostly plain without decoration, though a few shards show string patterns. The vessel forms are unclear. Additionally, the carbonized rice grains and polished stone tools analyzed suggest a cultural type similar to the “Baiyang Village Neolithic Culture” of our province, reflecting a water-side dwelling, primarily primitive farming-based rice cultivation culture. This holds significant value for studying the history of the ancestors of the Dehong Dai people, as well as the origins of ancient agriculture and “rice cultivation culture” in Dehong. On April 20, 1989, Mangyue Leizangxiang Temple was designated as a county-level cultural relics protection unit by the Ruili Municipal People's Government.

　　

　　Source: China Honghe Tourism Network