Xichan Ancient Temple, A millennium of serenity amid ancient charm
455 Gongye Road, Gulou District, Fuzhou City, Fujian Province
4.7
Introduction
Xichan Temple, located at the foot of Yishan Mountain in the western outskirts of Fuzhou, is one of the five major Zen temples in Fuzhou and a key national temple. As you enter the ancient temple gate, you can see the couplet inscribed on the door pillars by Zhou Lian of the Qing Dynasty: "The litchi trees have been passed down from the Song Dynasty through four dynasties, and the sound of the bell echoes the Tang Dynasty." This indicates that "Xichan Temple" is an ancient temple from the Tang Dynasty.
Legend has it that during the Northern and Southern Dynasties period, the alchemist Wang Ba lived here and could "create medicine from alchemy and turn stones into elixirs." During times of famine, he relied on selling medicine and exchanging gold for rice to help the poor. Later, people built a temple on his former residence after Wang Ba "took the medicine and shed his mortal coil." During the Sui Dynasty, the temple was abandoned, but in the eighth year of the Tang Xiantong reign, it was rebuilt and named "Qingchan Temple." It was later renamed "Yanshou Temple," "Yishan Xichan Changqing Temple," and commonly known as "Xichan Temple."
The temple contains 38 buildings of various sizes, including the Hall of Heavenly Kings, the Great Hall of the Buddha, the Dharma Hall, the Scripture Hall, the Jade Buddha Tower, the Guest Hall, the Zen Hall, and the Abbot's Room, covering an area of 7.7 hectares. In addition, there are collections such as the inscription "The True Body Record of the Master Yan Sheng in the Stupa of Fuzhou Yanshou Zen Temple during the Tang Dynasty Seven Star Well," the relic tower of Hui Ling, a Zen master in the Five Dynasties period, the "Medicine Buddha Sutra" by Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, and murals from the Qing Dynasty. Address 455 Gongye Road, Gulou District, Fuzhou City, Fujian Province
Opening hours 07:00-18:00 (All day)
Last entry time: 16:30 (Monday-Sunday, January 1-December 31)
Transportation Take bus 112/113/123/128/14/165/27/307/317/33/38/39/64/70/91/96 to Xichan Temple Station, get off and walk to the destination.
The ancient temple next to the old campus of Fuzhou University
