Yicheng Temple

　　The ruins of Yicheng Temple are located in Sun Huayuan Village, Jishan Town, Juancheng County, Heze City — known as the "hometown of peonies." The currently observable area is an earthen mound measuring 50 meters in width from east to west, 60 meters in length from north to south, with a total area of 3,000 square meters.

　　Historical Legacy

　　　　Yicheng Temple was first built in the first year of Huangjian during the Northern Qi Dynasty of the Northern and Southern Dynasties period.

　　(560 AD). Sun Bin wrote his works in (Sun) Garden, and the King of Qi specially built a post town nearby. After Sun Bin’s death, he was buried in front of the post town, which was then renamed "Yi Cheng" (Ceremonial Town).
　　Buddhism was introduced to Juancheng during the Wei and Jin dynasties. In the first year of Huangjian during the Northern Qi Dynasty (560), a temple was built on the site of the former Yi Cheng, taking the meaning of "yi" (tranquility) and naming it "Yicheng Temple." It was later destroyed by flooding from the Yellow River and was rebuilt twice. The "Record of the Stone Tablet for Rebuilding Yicheng Temple" from the 37th year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty states that "over ten thousand Buddha statues were carved on the front side of the tablet, and over five hundred abbots and monks were inscribed on the back," as well as "the palaces of the great Ming spanned the whole country, yet none surpassed the grandeur of the great Qi," reflecting its once-magnificent scale. Yicheng Temple was also known as Yicheng Temple (Temple of Righteousness), symbolizing the righteousness of Yangjiao’ai, Zuo Botao, and Jing Ke. Its origin is linked to the nearby joint tomb of Yangjiao’ai and Zuo Botao, as well as the tomb of Jing Ke. Thus, the names "post," "ceremonial," "righteous," and "yi" all refer to the same temple — Yicheng Temple.
　　This temple has stood for a thousand years. At its peak, it housed over ten thousand Buddha statues and more than a thousand monks, but a great fire during the Ming Dynasty destroyed it. After several restorations, the largest was in the 37th year of the Jiajing reign, when it covered a vast area of 500 acres. This continued until 1994, when a special and serendipitous opportunity arose — a Taiwanese monk named Tianji, who had once made a grand vow on the Central Plains of China, decided to fulfill it after her wish came true. However, after traveling across China, she couldn’t find a place suitable for her vow. As she prepared to leave by plane, flying over Hong Kong, she happened to open a map of China and her eyes lit up upon seeing the character “鄄” (Juancheng). She interpreted it as “Western Pure Land, the Great Buddha’s Ear,” believing it to be the birthplace of the Buddha. Further investigation revealed this was also the birthplace of Zen Buddhism and the hometown of Sun Bin. After the Battle of Maling, Sun Bin retired here. The monk believed this to be a feng shui treasure land embodying “heavenly timing, geographical advantage, and human harmony.” She thus spared no expense to build a temple here.

　　Sun Bin Tourist City