Wanxiang Temple

　　Wanxiang Temple is situated in Kangguanyingzi Village, Songzhangzi Town, Lingyuan City, covering an area of 50,000 square meters. It is a temple integrating the architectural styles of the Tibetan, Mongolian, and Han ethnicities, commissioned by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty. The temple was first built in the fourth year of Qianlong’s reign (1739 AD). In the 48th year of Qianlong’s reign (1783 AD), when Emperor Qianlong traveled to Mukden (Shenyang) to pay homage at the imperial tombs, he stayed at Wanxiang Temple on his way and personally inscribed the plaque “Wanxiang Temple.” During the Qianlong, Jiaqing, and Daoguang eras, the temple flourished, housing over 300 resident monks. Due to its high prestige, monks from Huishan Temple on Jinhuashan Mountain, located 35 kilometers away, also came to serve at Wanxiang Temple for three months each year. The temple is a provincial-level cultural heritage site.

　　Built on the mountainside, surrounded by peaks and rolling ridges, Wanxiang Temple offers a distant view of layered mountains and misty clouds, creating a feeling of floating in a celestial realm. The temple faces south and is built along the mountain, forming terraced courtyards that follow the terrain. The overall layout is solemn and majestic, with an extraordinary aura. The southern part is bright and open, while the northern part is compact and orderly. Following the natural slope and central axis, the temple features a 20,000-square-meter square at the base, leading up to a 10-meter-high bluestone Vajra wall. On the front side of the wall are two “N”-shaped staircases with 48 steps, symbolizing the 48 vows of Amitabha Buddha. The Vajra wall is carved with the bas-relief motif “Namgyalma,” which translates to “Ten Directions Free from Obstruction” in Chinese. This structure was donated and built by a lay Buddhist named Zheng from Beijing.

　　Ascending the Vajra wall steps leads to a triple-arched Tibetan-style mountain gate.

　　The first hall is the Heavenly King Hall, built in the flush-gable, dragon-ridge style. Inside the hall resides the smiling and all-encompassing Maitreya Buddha, behind whom stands the guardian deity Skanda. On either side are the Four Heavenly Kings: Vaishravana holding a sword and governing the wind; Dhritarashtra holding a pipa and governing music; Virudhaka holding an umbrella and governing rain; and Virupaksha holding a serpent and governing harmony. Together, they signify “favorable weather and peace,” and worshiping these deities is believed to bring wisdom, safety, victory over enemies, and protection against evil.

　　On either side of the Heavenly King Hall are the Bell Tower and Drum Tower, rebuilt in 2007. These towers feature double-eaved outer corridors, each with two stories. The upper level has a veranda, surrounded by eaves posts, with four inner golden pillars and a hip-and-gable roof with corner beams. The lower level consists of solid walls with eaves posts and a veranda. The brackets and eaves are adorned with blue tiles and nine ridges, featuring large chiwen ornaments and nine mythical beasts atop the hip-and-gable roof — a wooden structure. The roof ridges depict a central dragon back-to-back with a phoenix, with drum-wave ridge ornaments at both ends. Legend says that there is a fish in the East Sea with a tail resembling a chiwen, and as drum waves signify rain, these ornaments were placed on the roof. The eastern tower is the Bell Tower — hearing its chime clears the mind, enhances wisdom, and nurtures enlightenment. The western tower is the Drum Tower. The morning bell and evening drum reflect the vibrant life of the temple. This structure was donated and built by Mr. Zhang Dajun from Lingyuan.

　　The second hall is the Guanyin Bodhisattva Hall, designed as a double-veranda, nine-ridge, hip-and-gable structure. At its center is a gilded copper statue of the Thousand-Armed, Thousand-Eyed Guanyin, holding ritual implements and standing on a lotus. On either side are Sudhana and Dragon Girl. The Thousand-Armed, Thousand-Eyed Guanyin is a manifestation of the Bodhisattva Guanyin, who, moved by compassion for sentient beings, vowed to liberate them all. She divided her body into 36 segments, each becoming a separate Guanyin, with 36 arms — each holding a ritual implement and each palm bearing an eye, hence the name. Worshiping this deity is believed to change one’s fate, grant offspring, dispel disasters, and bring prosperity.

　　On either side of the Guanyin Hall are three side rooms each, constructed with brick, stone, and timber frames. The northern side of the east room features a decorative lattice door.

　　The third section is the platform in front of the Mahavira Hall. Fifteen steps up from the rear of the Guanyin Hall lead to the platform, flanked by a pair of stone lions. On the eastern and western sides stand a spruce and a pine tree respectively, both tall and lush. The eastern spruce has a diameter of 0.6 meters and a height of 26 meters. According to research by the Chinese Academy of Forestry, the tree is over 240 years old and is known as the “Ancestor of Spruces” in Chaoyang City.

　　The east-side auxiliary hall is the Medicine Buddha Hall, also a nine-ridge, hip-and-gable structure, with blank windows on both sides. Inside are three Buddha statues: the central Medicine Buddha, the left Bhaisajyaratna Bodhisattva, and the right Bhaisajyaraja Bodhisattva. Worshiping here is believed to cure illness, prolong life, bring health, and offer prayers.

　　The west-side auxiliary hall is the Sangharama Hall, with the same structure as the east hall. It also houses three Buddha statues: the central Sangharama Bodhisattva, with Guan Ping and Zhou Cang on either side. Worshiping here is believed to forge connections, cultivate blessings, ensure lasting happiness, and bring peace.

　　At the center of the north-south meridian line is the Mahavira Hall, built on a 1-meter-high bluestone foundation. The hall follows a traditional palace-style design, featuring double-tiered, colorful brackets and upturned eaves, with a wooden frame structure. Its roof includes a main ridge, hanging ridges, ridge beasts, hip ridges, and gable beasts. At the top sits a nine-jeweled, gilded pagoda, symbolizing the nobility, wisdom, and solemnity of the sacred space. In front of the porch are stone carvings of the “Seven Treasures” and “Eight Auspicious Objects.” The Seven Treasures are the Precious Wheel, Precious Elephant, Precious Woman, Precious Gem, Precious Horse, Precious General, and Precious Minister. The Eight Auspicious Objects are the Wheel (symbolizing the unceasing turning of the Dharma), Conch (spreading the Buddha’s teachings), Umbrella (warding off afflictions), Canopy (supreme Buddhist teachings), Lotus (purity and enlightenment), Vase (auspicious fulfillment), Fish (freedom and flow), and Endless Knot (interconnectedness and clarity). Inside the hall are twenty-four one-zhang-high stone pillars, with lotus-patterned bases. The northern wall on the first floor features a Buddha niche, above which is a horizontal lintel carved with the “Nine Dragons Playing with a Pearl” motif. The dragon pillars are decorated with bas-relief, openwork, and pierced carvings of golden dragons coiled around jade columns. The base of the niche is a lotus throne, upon which sits a gilded copper Sakyamuni Buddha in the lotus position, flanked by disciples Ananda and Kasyapa, as well as statues of Amitabha Buddha, Medicine Buddha, and the eighteen arhats in various expressions. The second floor enshrines the statue of Tsongkhapa. The ceiling features an octagonal caisson dome painted with mandala and wish-fulfilling jewel patterns, also called a “mandala” (Sanskrit: “mandala”), representing the Buddha’s hall. Viewed from the front, the main hall and side towers all feature nine ridges, colorful brackets, and hip-and-gable roofs, creating a magnificent sight. Worshiping here is believed to relieve suffering, dispel obstacles, increase blessings, attract nobility, gain virtue, and form karmic connections.

　　Climbing nine steps from either side of the main hall leads to the Scripture Depository. This two-story, flush-gable building has a circular corridor on the second floor. A six-meter-tall red sandalwood, gold-lacquered Maitreya Buddha statue stands on a lotus, backed by a six-spirit pedestal halo. Each side of the hall has three auxiliary rooms — flush-gable, rolled-ridge structures — with ceilings painted with the Six Syllable Mantra. These halls and auxiliary rooms were repaired and rebuilt through donations by Mr. Gao Yucheng and the Wen family. Worshiping here is believed to bring harmony, happiness, eternal joy, and bliss.

　　Climbing fifty-one steps from the side rooms of the Scripture Depository leads to the temple’s fifth section — the Kṣitigarbha Hall. The front of the hall is built in a rolled-ridge style, while the rear connects to a five-ridge, flush-gable structure. The hall enshrines Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva. Worshiping here is believed to relieve calamities, subdue evil, uphold the right path, and encourage diligence.

　　To reach the final Kṣitigarbha Hall from the temple’s front square, one must climb 128 steps, symbolizing the 128 vows of the Buddha. Another saying goes: those who visit the temple to worship should make vows daily.

　　A new triple-arched Tibetan-style gatehouse has been built in front of the dining hall.

　　In addition to the main structures, the temple also includes over 30 auxiliary buildings such as guest rooms, western storage, dining hall, monks’ quarters, scripture storage, and storerooms.

　　Once hailed as a renowned temple beyond the Great Wall, Wanxiang Temple did not escape the devastation of the Cultural Revolution and was left in ruins. Since 1988, the Kangguanyingzi Village Committee, local leaders, monks, and lay Buddhists have worked tirelessly to raise funds for restoration. Especially after Venerable Muren arrived from the world-famous Chengde Great Buddha Temple to serve as abbot, he spared no effort to restore the temple’s former glory. He raised tens of millions of yuan to rebuild and renovate the temple, constructing a 20,000-square-meter colored-brick square, a 10-meter-high Vajra wall, and two 48-step granite staircases. He also built a new mountain gate, triple-arched Tibetan gatehouse, two monks’ quarters, and renovated the western storage; restored the Bell and Drum Towers, repaired the Scripture Depository and various halls, and brought in a six-meter-tall gold-lacquered wooden Maitreya Buddha statue. Under Abbot Muren’s leadership, the temple focused on improving monks’ ideological and cultural qualities, establishing good religious conduct, and creating sound management systems. With the goals of upholding the Dharma, benefiting sentient beings, and meeting the challenges of modern science and culture, the temple cultivated “knowledgeable, capable, principled, and Dharma-preaching” monks. Classrooms were set up in the western storage, equipped with audiovisual teaching tools, and experienced Tibetan lamas were invited to teach systematic courses in Buddhism, Chinese, and Mongolian. The temple also established a resource room with dedicated shelves for books, documents, and archives. Today, the temple stands majestically, with flourishing incense offerings.

　　To ensure the perpetual presence of the Dharma, Abbot Muren emphasizes proper rituals in his sermons, praying for longevity, happiness, and blessings for all. The monks chant sutras twice daily: in the morning to pray for favorable weather and peace for all, and in the afternoon to pray for the deceased, offer blessings, extend life, dispel disasters, and bring good fortune.

　　On the first and 29th of each lunar month, the monks chant all day to pray for blessings and disaster relief. From the 13th to the 15th of July, a grand ceremony is held. Major events are also held on the 19th of February (Guanyin’s Birthday), the 8th of April (Bathing the Buddha Festival), and the 25th of October (Lamp Festival), inviting eminent monks and scholars to preach. On these days, conch shells blow, dharma drums beat, sutra chants echo, the Buddha’s light shines, and nectar rains down upon devotees, filling the air with joy and endless blessings.

　　 May all great virtuous ones unite in aspiration, and may all kind-hearted men and women, as well as philanthropists, give rise to pure and charitable hearts.