Longshan Temple - Pilgrimage to the 100 Ancient Temples Series No. 32
Longshan Temple, located in Jinjiang City, Quanzhou City, Fujian Province, was first built during the Huangtai period of the Sui Dynasty (618-619). It was originally named Puxian Temple, also known as Tianzhu Temple, and commonly known as Guanyin Hall.
In the third year of the Tianqi reign of the Ming Dynasty (1623), Longshan Temple was rebuilt.
In the 23rd year of Emperor Kangxi's reign in the Qing Dynasty (1684), Shi Lang, Marquis of Jinghai, and others donated money for the renovation and built the mountain gate, steles, hall gates, and bell and drum towers.
In the 57th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign in the Qing Dynasty (1718), Longshan Temple was expanded and has been renovated many times since then.
🌟Highlights:
Longshan Temple faces south and is composed of a release pond, mountain gate, bell and drum tower, front hall, and worship pavilion. There are temples, kitchens and meditation rooms on the east and west sides, covering a total area of 4,250 square meters. Longshan Temple is the ancestral temple of hundreds of Longshan Temples in Taiwan Province and is also one of the important bridges connecting cross-strait relations.
Lukang Longshan Temple is one of the oldest Longshan temples in Taiwan. According to Anhai's "Continuation of the Longshan Zutan Buddhist Transmission Record", in the tenth year of Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1653), Zhaoshan, a monk from Longshan Temple, sculpted a statue of Guanyin and wanted to go to Putuo Mountain for pilgrimage. Unexpectedly, the ship lost control due to a storm at sea and drifted to Lukang, Taiwan, so he founded the Lukang Longshan Temple on the spot. In the 25th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign (1686), Zhaoshan led more than a hundred monks and lay disciples back to Longshan Temple in Anhai to pay homage to their ancestors and burn incense, and to respectfully welcome the statue of Guanyin to Lugang.
👍Most recommended: Longshan Temple Three Treasures
Longshan Temple in Anhai is known to have three treasures. The first is the Thousand-armed Thousand-eyed Guanyin enshrined in the temple. According to legend, it was carved from the entire giant camphor tree in front of the temple. The figure wears a flower crown with a seated Buddha carved in the middle of the crown and many small Buddha heads carved around it, stacked like a hat. The Thousand-armed Thousand-eyed Guanyin can be called a national treasure of China. The second treasure is a pair of green grass stone pillars standing opposite each other in front of the Longshan Temple Hall, with giant dragons carved around them, looking like they are flying in the clouds. A pair of dragon claws with alternating scales and armor hold a chime and a drum respectively. If you tap them gently with a thin iron bar, the chime will make a chime sound and the drum will make a drum sound. This is a unique stone carving work in southern Fujian. The third treasure is the main hall’s large door made of solid camphor wood. The bell tower also has a large drum hollowed out from a whole piece of wood, an antique handed down from the Sui Dynasty.
In addition, Longshan Temple also has a plaque inscribed with "Tong Shen Shou Yan" by the Ming Dynasty calligrapher Zhang Ruitu, as well as calligraphy by celebrities such as Zhuang Junyuan of the Qing Dynasty and Master Hongyi of modern times. The couplet on the main door of the front hall, "Why do we hate the shackles and love the buttons for twelve hours but are still bound by worldly ties? As expected, five hundred pairs of eyes save the drowning people and the Buddha's teachings are boundless", is an authentic work by Zhuang Junyuan of the Qing Dynasty. The huge plaque "Shaolong Buddha Species" under the north eaves of the hall is an authentic work by Master Hongyi. There is a plaque "Longshan Temple" inscribed by Zhao Puchu himself at the Temple of Heaven; and the authentic work "Puxian Hall" by Zhu Xi of the Song Dynasty, and the plaque "Zhenguo Buddha" inscribed by Prime Minister Li Wenzhen and written by Juren Ke Conghuang, and so on...
Longshan Temple is the most efficacious temple in Quanzhou. Countless believers come here every day to worship Buddha and pray. The temple also houses numerous precious calligraphy and cultural relics, as well as rich traditional folk culture. Such a Longshan Temple is certainly worth your pilgrimage!
📍Detailed address: No. 242, Haiba Middle Road, Jinjiang City, Quanzhou City.
🕙Business hours: All day, subject to the announcement of the day.
💰Tickets: Free and open.