Yuanjin Zen Temple, one of the twelve scenic spots of Qinghua Pavilion, was built during the Zhizheng era of the Yuan Dynasty and is located by the Caogang River. The temple houses a statue of the Chenzhou Holy Mother, hence it is also known as the ‘Empress Temple’. The current Yuanjin Zen Temple is a later reconstruction; its entrance is small, but stepping inside reveals a hidden world. Despite its location on a busy street, the temple remains tranquil, simple, and antique in style. The structure within the temple is compact, with a limited number of Buddha statues, yet each is meticulously carved, radiating a dazzling brilliance and solemnity.
The Qinghua Pavilion at the back of the temple is renowned for its history as a repository for the calligraphy and paintings of famous literati. Moreover, it offers a beautiful environment. Ascending to the top of the pavilion, one can enjoy a panoramic view of the scenic Zhuxi River. Historically, the temple has been an important place for storing cultural relics. Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, many literati have visited the temple, making it a gathering place for scholars during those times. Unfortunately, many precious cultural relics were either destroyed in wars or stolen and sold by unscrupulous monks. By the end of the 1940s, few treasures remained, and most were later collected by the Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Management Committee and housed in the museums of Jiangsu Province and Suzhou City, with a few preserved in the Qingpu County Museum. In the early 1950s, the temple was demolished, leaving only the stone inscriptions written by Wang Chang, ‘The Record of the Renovation of Qinghua Pavilion’ and ‘The Inscription of Zhenhua Elder’s Pagoda’, and ‘The Record of the Renovation of the Main Hall’ written by Shen Guangying, as the only remaining cultural relics of the temple. The temple is open all year round from 08:30 to 16:30.Yuanjin Zen Temple
Yuanjin Zen Temple, one of the twelve scenic spots of Qinghua Pavilion, was built during the Zhizhen[...]
