On the first day of the Lunar New Year, blessings are sought at Kaiyuan Temple

Quanzhou Ancient City Walk, the third stop, Quanzhou Kaiyuan Temple! Kaiyuan Temple is located on West Street in Licheng District, Quanzhou City. It was built in the second year of the Chuigong era during the reign of Empress Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty, and has a history of more than 1300 years. Originally named Lotus Dojo, it was renamed Kaiyuan Temple in the 26th year of the Kaiyuan era. It is an important cultural relic along the southeast coast of China and also one of the largest Buddhist temples in Fujian Province. Kaiyuan Temple faces south with its back to the north. The central axis courtyard includes the mountain gate, worship courtyard, east and west corridors, Mahavira Hall, Sweet Dew Precept Platform, and Sutra Repository, among others. The Heavenly King Hall serves as the mountain gate of Kaiyuan Temple. Crossing the mountain gate, one arrives at the worship courtyard, where the towering east and west pagodas and the spacious and bright east and west corridors are symmetrically arranged on both sides. The east and west pagodas are famous attractions of Kaiyuan Temple. The east is the 'Zhen Guo Pagoda,' built between the second year of the Jiaxi era and the tenth year of the Chunyou era of the Southern Song Dynasty (1238-1250). It is an octagonal five-story stone pagoda in the style of a wooden pavilion, with a total height of 48.27 meters. The outer walls of the pagoda are decorated with stone statues arranged according to the five levels of Buddhism, from bottom to top: heavenly generals, arhats, high monks, bodhisattvas, and Buddhas, totaling 80 statues, representing the five realms of Buddhist practice. The base of the pagoda is carved with 37 panels of Buddhist stories, promoting the Dharma. The west is the 'Ren Shou Pagoda,' built during the Shaoding and Duanping eras of the Southern Song Dynasty (1228-1236). It is also an octagonal five-story stone pagoda in the style of a wooden pavilion, with a total height of 45.06 meters. The outer walls of each layer are alternately carved with figures from the various vehicles of Buddhism, totaling 80 statues, representing the Buddhist concept of the equality of all sentient beings' Buddha-nature. The base of the pagoda is carved with 40 panels of flowers, birds, and animals, harmonizing with this beautiful world. The east and west pagodas of Kaiyuan Temple are the tallest pair of stone pagodas from the Song Dynasty still existing in China, representing the highest level of stone construction skills in China in the 13th century. The main building is the Mahavira Hall. Rebuilt during the Ming Dynasty, it is known as the 'Hall of a Hundred Pillars.' The hall was originally planned to have one hundred pillars, but later, to accommodate Buddha statues and make space for Buddhist worship, the beams were lengthened and the number of pillars was reduced, resulting in the 'Hall of a Hundred Pillars' with 86 pillars. When I went there, it was the first day of the Lunar New Year, and many pilgrims were burning incense and praying for blessings. There were so many people. When in Rome, do as the Romans do, so I also experienced the New Year atmosphere of the people of Quanzhou! After leaving Kaiyuan Temple, I strolled and ate along West Street, tasting the local specialties of Quanzhou, such as ginger duck, noodle paste, frozen siphon, soft rice cake, vinegar meat, and Shihuagao... I just marveled at how many delicious things there are 😍😍😍! Address: No. 176 West Street, Licheng District, Quanzhou City Time: 6:30-17:00 Average cost: Free PS: It takes 20 minutes to walk from Quanzhou Prefecture Confucian Temple to Kaiyuan Temple, passing through the arcade building commercial street and the bell tower.