Guangde Temple Scenic Area

Sichuan is truly a treasure trove for travelers. Besides the well-known Jiuzhaigou and Dujiangyan, this time I also discovered an off-the-beaten-path destination - Guangde Temple in Suining. As the hometown of Guanyin, it has a profound historical and cultural heritage. Guangde Temple is also a royal temple, known as the premier Zen forest from the west. Moreover, many locals say that praying here brings 💰luck. After visiting enough popular spots, why not make a trip here? Its main appeal is sincerity brings spirituality. - 📍Location: Guangde Temple, Suining 🚄Transport: 1h high-speed train directly from Chengdu or Chongqing - Founded during the Tang Dynasty, it has a history of over 1400 years. The temple houses six major cultural relics that are the treasures of the temple. Among them is the imperial seal that stabilizes the mountain, and there's an enlarged version in the square. The temple's architecture retains the mortise and tenon structure, with soaring eaves and corners, majestic in appearance. When visiting Guangde Temple, be sure to walk around and look around. - What to do at Guangde Temple 🙏Pray for 💰luck: As a former royal temple and the hometown of Guanyin, it is said that this temple was where nobles and high officials came to pray for wealth, and their wishes were granted. 🙏At Guangde Cultural and Creative Center, you can also pray for the Eighteen Seeds and sachets, and it's the only cultural and creative shop in Suining. - tips: ✅Do not step on the thresholds inside the temple, and do not speak loudly. ✅Blessing activities: 1、🆓Receive Guanyin phone stickers, 💰inviting tokens, and handwritten blessing cards. 2、🆓Stamping, scripture copying. 3、Experience Hanfu, with a wide variety of styles to choose from, no 💰required, just a 20r cleaning fee. 4、During the Guanyin Festival, you can also receive a prayer card.

🙏 Blessed by the Imperial Edict This is the only temple in China that has an 'Imperial Edict Archway', with a gilded vertical plaque reading 'Imperial Edict' and a horizontal plaque titled 'Imperial Grant to the Zen Forest', both inscribed by Yan Zhenqing, a calligrapher from the Tang Dynasty. This is Guangde Temple, a landmark scenic spot in Suining, Sichuan. 🙏 Over a thousand years of prosperity Founded during the Tang Dynasty, Guangde Temple has produced many high monks and has been honored by the imperial courts of the Tang, Song, and Ming dynasties, receiving nine imperial seals from eleven emperors! It was also one of the earliest royal Zen forests designated by the court. Today, Guangde Temple still has eleven Ming and Qing dynasty buildings, ranking first in Sichuan. It is said that many pilgrims who come here to pray for official positions, academic success, and wealth have their prayers answered. 😉

Suining, this is an auspicious name, a land with a profound cultural heritage. It is the hometown of 'the master of literature in China,' Chen Zi'ang, and the famous 'Guanyin sacred site.' Throughout its long history, Suining has shone like a brilliant star, twinkling with dazzling light. 'Seven Great Ancient Wonders of Suining' Lingquan Temple: Located on the east side of Lingquan Mountain, it was founded at the beginning of the Sui Dynasty. It is named after the sacred spring on the top of the mountain. 'For a thousand years, Lingquan has been a sacred site, a famous attraction since the Tang Dynasty that surpasses all others.' Lingquan Temple has always been a Guanyin sacred site, known for its secluded mountains, lush forests, sweet springs, and ancient temple. The mountain is filled with Guanyin's sacred traces, such as the ancient cypress trees of the three Guanyin sisters, Guanyin Pavilion, Fan Yin Pavilion, Yin Yang Tomb, Three-Eyed Well, and many other fascinating landscapes. The temple is always bustling with worshippers, with morning bells and evening drums, and the chanting of sutras that refreshes the soul. Guangde Temple: Located at the foot of Wolong Mountain, it is a Buddhist holy land in central Sichuan. Since the Tang Dynasty's Kaiyuan era, this famous ancient temple has been consecrated by emperors from the Tang, Song, and Ming dynasties, earning it the title 'The First Zen Forest of the West.' It has produced many high monks and has always been a bustling place of worship. Built on the mountain, the temple has nine layers of halls, including ten ancient buildings from the Ming Dynasty and nine from the Qing Dynasty. The temple houses four treasures known as the 'Town Temple Treasures': the Song Dynasty stele, jade seal, jade Buddha, and the imperial decree plaque. Juefeng Temple Pagoda: Built on Juefeng Mountain in the south, also known as the White Pagoda, it is praised as 'a glance at Penglai.' The pagoda is a square, pavilion-style brick and stone structure, white in color, with 13 levels. Niches are opened above the second level, and the spire is topped with a treasure bottle. The pagoda is tall and well-preserved, having stood for over 800 years, fully reflecting the level of traditional Chinese architectural technology. Chen Zi'ang Reading Platform: Located in Jinhua Mountain, north of Shehong City, it was the place where Chen Zi'ang, the master of the Tang Dynasty, studied in his youth. Facing south with a north orientation, it has an asymmetrical quadrangle layout, divided into front, middle, and rear courtyards. The front courtyard consists of the gate arch, Gan Yu Hall, and corridors; the middle has the Shi Yi Pavilion and cloisters; the rear courtyard is centered around the Liu Xian Pavilion, with Wen Fu Pavilion to the east, Jing She Pavilion to the south, and Ming Yuan Pavilion to the north. The entire quadrangle is nestled among ancient cypresses and pines, serene and elegant, with the charm of a southern garden. Zhuo Tong Well: Located one kilometer east of Zhuo Tong Well Town in Daying County, its deep drilling and extraction technique was a great invention during the Northern Song Dynasty's Qingli era. 'Digging the ground and planting bamboo to create Zhuo Tong Wells' refers to the drilling technique of creating small-diameter salt wells deep underground using an impact method. The complete production process is preserved, marking a groundbreaking technological innovation of its time, known as 'China's fifth great ancient invention,' and included in the first batch of 'intangible cultural heritage' list. Baofan Temple: Located in Baofan Village, Baofan Town, west of Pengxi County, it was founded in the Northern Song Dynasty and originally named Luohan Court. In the first year of the Song Dynasty's Zhiping era, Emperor Yingzong bestowed the name, meaning 'the saint among Buddhas, the treasure among Brahmas.' Most of the temple's buildings are from the Ming and Qing dynasties, with the most important being the Ming Dynasty murals and the Qing Dynasty's painted wooden ceiling. The Ming Dynasty mural 'Western Paradise' was created in the second year of the Ming Chenghua era. Originally twelve panels, ten are still preserved. It features 103 Buddhist figures, painted with fine brushwork and heavy colors, with gold leaf and powder, each figure vividly portrayed with lifelike expressions. It has a strong sense of life and extraordinary artistic charm, hailed as 'a representative work of Ming Dynasty murals in Sichuan.' Gaofeng Mountain: Located in Wenjing Town, north of Pengxi County, the mountain is rugged, with ancient cypresses reaching the sky, green corridors, and a long history. The Taoist culture is well-known, with connected pavilions, serene and elegant, known as the 'Maze of Northern Sichuan.' At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, the mountain was a place where Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism coexisted, creating a unique atmosphere for Gaofeng Mountain. Founded during the Tang Dynasty, the existing structures are mainly from the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China. The entire complex is laid out according to the four main trigrams of Qian, Kun, Kan, and Li from the 'I Ching' or 'Book of Changes,' with over 400 doors, three levels, and intricate interconnections, full of mysterious Taoist principles, forming a celestial realm. It is a unique example among national religious buildings, truly a spectacle.

With nothing to do, I wandered around with a friend and unknowingly came to a temple from the side door. The temple is not big, but the buildings are densely packed, up to seven layers. Yes, this is Guangde Temple. Just wandering around, the biggest goal is to seek novelty. Under the urging of my friend, I only took a few quick shots for commemoration. But I didn't know that this place has a big background. This temple is a royal Zen forest that has been granted eleven times by the court. It was built during the Kaiyuan period of the Tang Dynasty, and the initiator was the monk Ke You, the grandson of Tang Zhongzong and the nephew of Tang Xuanzong. Through the Humha Hall, it is the famous Imperial Edict Square, where monks of all dynasties welcome the imperial edict. Other temples have to go out of the temple gate to welcome the edict ten miles away, but here they only need to welcome it in the temple, which shows the extreme honor of Guangde Temple. The four golden characters of "Imperial Gift Zen Forest" on the top of the stele were personally written by the famous calligrapher Yan Zhenqing, with strong strokes, which is extremely precious. Guangde Temple has five treasures of the town temple: Imperial Edict Square, Myanmar Jade Buddha, Nine Dragon Stele, two imperial jade seals, and Shanji Tower. Because of time, we only got to see the Imperial Edict Square and Shanji Tower, which are pictures one and seven. The tower is a typical Buddhist building, a place to enshrine Buddhist statues, Buddha bone relics, Buddhist scriptures and other Buddhist relics. Its formation is related to the relics left after Sakyamuni was cremated. I believe everyone has guessed that the Shanji Tower here is the flesh tower of Ke You, which has remained intact for thousands of years. The first meeting was so chaotic, it seems that the Buddhist fate is still deep, and I have to come again in the future to continue the Buddhist fate.