Ningbo’s Reception Temple, a historical and renowned Buddhist monastery, was originally established during the Tang Dynasty by the Venerable Master Yuan Hui. Over the centuries, it has been home to many eminent monks and has flourished with a strong following, eventually becoming a grand and spacious Buddhist complex. Reception Temple, along with Tian Tong and King Ashoka, were once collectively known as the three great Buddhist sites, earning the reputation of a Buddhist paradise by the sea and sky.
In September 1909, at the request of the Buddhist community in Ningbo, Master Yuan Ying took up the position as the abbot of Reception Temple, marking his first abbotship. After his appointment, he founded a Buddhist lecture institute within the temple, which was renamed Reception Temple in 1931.
The current layout of the temple includes the mountain gate, bell tower, drum tower, Hall of the Heavenly Kings, Hall of the Three Buddhas, Mahavira Hall, Ancestral Hall, Jia Lan Hall, and Yi Hou Hall, among other pavilions. The temple is open to the public from 4:00 to 17:00 all year round.
