Xinchang Great Buddha Temple in Shaoxing city of Zhejiang

Updated: 23 May 2011
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 Xinchang Great Buddha Temple
 
 
Xinchang Great Buddha Temple is located in the valley between Nanming Mountain and Shicheng Mountain in Southwest Xinchang County, Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province. The temple is a famous in Buddhism field. Originally it was built during the Yonghe Period in the East Jin Dynasty, more than 1600 years ago. According to records in Biographies of Eminent Monks, in 345 A.D, an eminent monk Tan Guang came to Shicheng Mountain to appreciate the beautiful mountains and rivers of eastern Zhejiang. He lived in a stone chamber and hastily established Yinyue Temple, which was the origin of Xinchang Great Buddha.
 
The Xinchang Great Buddha Temple Scenic Area has a total area of 25.5 square kilometers. It consists of The Great Buddha Temple Scenic Area, Shi Li Qian Xi Scenic Area and Nanyan Temple Scenic Area.
 
The Great Buddha Temple Scenic Area is 0.5 kilometers away from the southwest county. It has 165 scenic spots. The temple was surrounded by mountains, rare rocks, pavilions and ancient trees. So it got another name of Shicheng Ancient Buddhist Temple.
 
Looking from the outside façade, the temple has five layers. The big stone status of Maitreya is in the middle of the hall. The statue base is 2.4 meters high, and the main body is 13.2 meters high, 15.9 meters wide. The distance between two knees is 10.6 meters. The ears are longer than 2.7 meters. The Buddha sits with his great hands on his lap, palms upwards. More than 10 people can stand on his hands. The statue is considered as the number one great buddha in the south of Yangtze River in China.
 
The main halls in the Great Buddha Temple are Heavenly King Hall, The Western Hall, The Main Shrine Hall, Dafo Hall, Dizang Hall, The Scriptorium and so on. Apart from these, The Thousand-Buddha Buddhist Temple, Zhi Zhe Fa Pagoda, Yinyue Cave, The Free Life Pond, Wuliang Bridge etc..
 
The Thousand-Buddha Buddhist Temple is located 300 meters northwest of the Great Buddha Temple. There are more than a thousand Buddha statues in the temple. That’s why it was called Thousand-Buddha Buddhist Temple. Some of them are big while some of them are quite small. The biggest one is about one meter and the smallest one is only a few inches. The statues were arranged in good order. They fully reflect the infinite intelligence and high artistic level of ancient Chinese craftsman.
 
The Free Life Pond is in the temple gate outside the Great Buddha Temple. It is not only the specific architecture in the temple, but also has the effect of adding views to the temple. When entering the gate, you will be attracted by the clear pond. The water mirrors the surrounding green mountains and trees. The feeling of lustration in Buddhism place will soon strike you. The characters Nan Wu E Mi Tuo Fo on the rock in the south of the Free Life Pond was written by Master Hongyi. The three characters Fang Sheng Pond was written by Qian Silian. On the hillside of the two ponds was the Master Zhizhe Memorial Pagoda, it was built to commemorate the Master Zhi Yi who was the founder of chinese Buddhism in Sui and Tang Dynasties.
     
Address: No. 117 West of Renmin Road, Chengguan Town, Xinchang County, Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province
Admission fee: RMB 80
Opening hours: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Transportation: you can take special bus to get to there
 
SOURCE: foreignercn.com
 
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