According to the records of Jintan County Annals, during the Datong years (535 – 546) of Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty, it was founded by Monk Miaogao Zen Master. Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty often stayed here during his eastern expedition. In 1447, the 12th year of Zhengtong reign of Emperor Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty, it was given the name Yuantong Nunnery. It was rebuilt during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty and was destroyed in 1860, the 10th year of Xianfeng. It was rebuilt again during the Guangxu period. For thousands of years, it has undergone several changes. Until the 1980s, the government reserved religious sites. In 1986, it was designated as a cultural relic protection unit of Jintan County. In March 2003, with the approval of the people’s Government of Jintan City, it was opened as a Buddhist activity site. The nunnery now covers an area of 4.1 mu, with a building area of 1300 square meters. The buildings in the nunnery include more than 30 rooms such as the mountain gate, the main hall of Sakyamuni, the Hall of Skanda, the Yuantong Hall, the Ksitigarbha Hall, the Xigui Hall, the dining hall, and the monk’s room. The cultural relics and historic sites preserved in the nunnery include a royal stele left by Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty, which is now stored in the imperial stele pavilion. A pair of stone-carved longevity turtles crawl in front of the mountain gate. A stone-carved Diamond Sutra consists of several pieces. The meaningful and powerful writing style reflects the style of an ancient temple. In addition, there is an ancient ginkgo tree that can be regarded as the king of local trees. The tree diameter can be surrounded by 4 to 5 people. It is said that it was planted by Liu Bowen, the military adviser of Zhu Yuanzhang.
Zhenjiang Yuantong Nunnery
According to the records of Jintan County Annals, during the Datong years (535 – 546) of Emper[...]
