Step into Yangzhou Daming Temple

It feels like crossing from Jiangnan and Yangzhou to another world

A little strange and familiar

The architectural style of those pagodas buildings, the dry mountains and rivers

It always feels like walking into a Japanese temple

But the winding pavilions, the palace lanterns floating in the wind

But it pulls you back to the simple Chinese style

Daming Temple is named after it was first built during the Ming Dynasty of Emperor Xiaowu of the Southern Song Dynasty (457-464). Over the past 1500 years, the names of the temples have changed many times, such as "Qiling Temple" and "Xisi" in the Sui Dynasty, and "Chengping" in the late Tang Dynasty. In the Qing Dynasty, due to the word "Ming", it was once called "Qiling Temple". In the 30th year of Qianlong, the emperor personally inscribed the book "Imperial Title Fa Jing Temple". In 1980, Daming Temple restored its original name.

In the first year of Renshou in the Sui Dynasty (601), Emperor Yang Jian issued an edict to celebrate his birthday and build 30 towers across the country to support Buddha bones. The temple built a "Qiling Tower". The nine-story tower was majestic and magnificent. It was praised as "the most majestic one in China", so the temple was also called "Qiling Temple". Master Jianzhen of the Tang Dynasty served as the abbot of Daming Temple, making Daming Temple an important ancient temple in the history of Buddhist cultural relics relations between China and Japan. In the third year of Huichang of the Tang Dynasty (843), the nine-story spiritual tower was destroyed by fire. Later, it was recruited and rebuilt by monks, but it was repeatedly demolished.

1963 marked the 1200th anniversary of the death of Dajianzhen in the Tang Dynasty. In order to welcome the convening of the commemorative event, it was renovated and renovated. In 1979, the temple was fully repaired, the Buddha statues were decorated with gold, and the Daming Temple took on a completely new look.

In 1980, in order to welcome the sitting statue of Master Jianzhen, he returned to China to tour the exhibition and renamed it "Daming Temple".

Jianzhen lived in an era when cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries were frequent, especially Japan, which was surrounded by a strip of water, constantly sent envoys and international students to Chang 'an to study at that time and absorb the culture of the Tang Dynasty. Jianzhen resolutely made a vow to go to Japan with the spirit of dedication of "why cherish his life for the sake of Dharma?" and successfully crossed eastward for the sixth time in the twelfth year of Tianbao of the Tang Dynasty (753). Jianzhen lived in Japan for 10 years and died of illness in Nara, Japan in the first year of Guangde of Tang Dynasty (763) at the age of 76.

During his 10 years in Japan, he established the Vinshu sect for Japan and corrected Japan's Tripitaka. In addition, he introduced medical knowledge to the Japanese people and exchanged my country's science and technology such as Buddhism, linguistics, literature, architecture, sculpture, calligraphy, and printing, promoting the development of Japanese culture.

In fact, the Japanese style we are familiar with is more of the Chinese style of those days.

The most distinctive building of Daming Temple is the Jianzhen Memorial Hall. According to the instructions of Premier Zhou Enlai, the memorial hall was laid in 1963 when China and Japan commemorated the 1200th anniversary of the death of Master Jianzhen. Completed in 1973.

Before Jianzhen traveled eastward to Japan, he was the abbot of Daming Temple. Starting from the first year of Tianbao of the Tang Dynasty (742), it has lasted for more than ten years and experienced hardships until the successful sixth eastward crossing. It introduced my country's Buddhism, medicine, language and literature, architecture, sculpture, calligraphy, printing, etc. to Japan, contributing to the development of China and Japan. Cultural exchanges between China and Japan have made important contributions.

In 1922, Japanese scholar Changpan Dading erected a monument to the ruins of Monk Jianzhen of the Tang Dynasty in front of the temple. It is modeled after the Tang Zhaoti Temple in Nara, Japan and was designed by architect Liang Sicheng. It consists of three parts: a stele pavilion, a corridor and a memorial hall, with a total area of 700 square meters

So you can find a different Yangzhou in Daming Temple.