Visit Fuzhou Xichan Temple!

Xichan Temple, also known as Changqing Temple, is located in Yishan, the western suburb of Fuzhou. It is one of the five major Zen temples in Fujian and was listed as a key Buddhist temple in the Han Chinese area in 1983. The current abbot is Master Zhao Xiong. In 865, Master Da'an came to the temple, and the temple was revived. The temple has a long history and has produced many eminent monks. From Master Da'an in the Tang Dynasty, Master Huileng in the Five Dynasties, Master Huiyao and Master Dingxu in the Song Dynasty, Master Kongyin and Master Weimiao in the Qing Dynasty, Master Zhishui in the Republic of China, to Master Mingyang in modern times, they are all eminent monks of their generation. The temple has spacious corridors and pavilions, and the buildings are elegant. There are more than 40 buildings in the temple, including the Hall of Heavenly Kings, the Mahavira Hall, the Dharma Hall, the Sutra Library, the Guanyin Pavilion, the Huayan Three Saints Hall, and the Gratitude Pagoda, covering an area of more than 200 acres. The cultural relics in the temple mainly include the "True Body Record of the Late Master Yansheng in the Pagoda of the Tang Dynasty Fuzhou Yanshou Zen Temple" unearthed in 1952, the Seven Star Well, the Sarira Pagoda of Master Huileng in the Five Dynasties, the Stone Gate Drum of the Yuan Dynasty, and the "Medicine Master Sutra" written by Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty. Since the Song Dynasty, the temple has been planted with lychees. Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, literati and scholars have often gathered here during the lychee season, and now the Lychee Poetry Festival is held almost every year. It enjoys a high reputation at home and abroad, and the temple has sister temples such as Shuanglin Temple in Singapore, Shuangqing Temple in Penang, Malaysia, and Putuo Temple in Vietnam.