Travel, Study, and Fun in China - Yuquan Temple

The Yuquan Temple is located at the east piedmont of Yuquan Mountain in Dangyang County, Hubei Province. Known as the King of the Jingchu jungle, it is one of the earliest Buddhist temples in China. During the Jian'an reign (196-219) of the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220), eminent monk Pujing set up a hut. Emperor Liangxuandi of the Southern Dynasty Period (420-589) built Fuchuan Mountain Temple here. A famous monk named Zhiyi gave lectures here in the Kaihuang reign of the Sui Dynasty (581-618). From then on, the temple was named Yuquan Temple.
The Yuquan Temple, the Guoqing Temple in Zhejiang Province, the Lingyan Temple in Jiangsu Province and the Qixia Temple in Shandong Province are collectively called Four Masterpieces of Jungles. Master Fatian expanded the temple in the Zhenguan reign (627-649) of the Tang Dynasty (618-907). During the Tianxi reign (1017-1021) of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Empress Mingsu believed in Buddhism and went in for a large-scale construction. Temple had 9 buildings, 18 halls and 3,700 monks at that time. It was repaired in the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. The main halls that can be seen today are the Tianwang Hall, the Great Hall, the Pilu Hall, the Pilu Shangfang, the Eastern Hall, the Western Hall, the Banzhou Hall and the Sutra Storing Building.
The Great Hall was first built in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), and is 21 meters high, and seven bays wide, all of which was built of rare nanmu as beam frame and dougong (wooden square blocks inserted between the top of a column and a crossbeam). The sunk panel is richly decorated with splendid color, whose architectural structure shows typical features of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). There are an iron caldron of the Sui Dynasty, iron kettle and bell of the Yuan Dynasty with weight of over 1,500 kg. The carved stone Kwan-yin figure in the hall is said to be the work of Wu Daozi, a famous painter of the Tang Dynasty (618-907). The figure has a man's head and a woman's body, with graceful posture, plump body and swaying clothes.