The story or legend of Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou

Quanzhou kaiyuan temple

Signs of cultural integration between China and foreign countries are even reflected in Buddhist temples. Kaiyuan Temple is the largest Buddhist temple in Quanzhou, which was founded in the period of Emperor Wu of Tang Dynasty. Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty named this temple after the Kaiyuan period. From the Five Dynasties to the Song Dynasty, there were 120 branches beside the hall, which were combined into one hall in the Yuan Dynasty. Now it covers an area of 50 mu. The temple has a large building scale and many dense ancient banyan trees. The carving technique of Daxiong Hall is superb. In particular, an arch with 24 flying musicians with wings is selected from the lotus bucket on the stigma of the main hall, which is rare in ancient buildings in China. Seventy-two sphinxes on the platform in front of the temple are reliefs of bluestone, and two ancient Brahmanism blue stone pillars engraved with ancient Egyptian myths and legends and Indian and Sri Lankan Brahmanism myths are all relics of the Yuan Dynasty. The main hall is supported by nearly 100 giant begonia-style stone pillars, commonly known as the "Baizhu Hall". These buildings reflect the influence of foreign culture on Quanzhou in the heyday of opening to the outside world in Yuan Dynasty.