Liurong Temple in Guangzhou
Located on Liurong Road
Liurong Temple is located on Liurong Road. It is a temple with a long history and a collection of Buddhist cultural relics in Guangzhou. An ancient temple famous both at home and abroad. In the third year of Datong in the Southern Dynasties (AD 537), Master Tanyu was ordered by Emperor Wu of Liang to build Baozhuangyan Temple and stupa here, which has a history of more than 1,450 years. In the early Northern Song Dynasty, the temple tower was destroyed by fire. When the temple was rebuilt in the second year of Duangong in the Northern Song Dynasty (AD 989), the monks worshiped the Sixth Patriarch of Zen Buddhism to cultivate "pure karma" and renamed it Jinghui Temple. In the fourth year of Shaosheng's reign in the Northern Song Dynasty (AD 1097), the pagoda was rebuilt and housed the Thousand Buddhas of Xianjie. It was renamed Thousand Buddhas Pagoda. Because of its colorful body, later generations called it the Flower Pagoda. In the third year of Yuanfu (AD 1100), the famous writer and calligrapher Su Dongpo visited the temple and saw six banyan trees planted around it. He happily wrote the word "Liurong" on it, and later generations called it Liurong Temple.
The gorgeous flower pagoda stands in the center of the temple. The pagoda is 57 meters high and octagonal. It has nine floors on the outside and seventeen floors on the inside. To the east of the pagoda are the mountain gate, Maitreya Hall, Tianwang Hall and Weituo Hall. A stele gallery is built on the south side, and more than ten ancient stele are preserved to record the history of the temple and pagoda. There are also portraits of Su Dongpo and ancient stone carvings with the word "Liurong".
In 1983, the main hall was rebuilt in the west of the pagoda. It is solemn and gorgeous, 14 meters high and 300 square meters in area. It is dedicated to three bronze statues cast in the second year of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty (1663). The large Buddha statues (Sakyamuni Buddha in the middle, Amitabha Buddha on the left, and Maitreya Buddha on the right) are each six meters high and weigh ten tons. They have kind demeanor and are the largest ancient bronze statues in Guangdong Province
picture. On the south side of the main hall, the sermon hall was rebuilt. There is the Sixth Patriarch Hall in the Rongyin Garden, which houses the bronze statue of the sixth generation founder of Chinese Zen Buddhism (1.8 meters high and one ton in weight). The Sixth Patriarch's common surname was Lu, and his nickname was Master Huineng. He was a native of Xinxing County, Guangdong. He was an outstanding eminent monk in the Tang Dynasty. He studied Dharma with the Fifth Patriarch Hongren and was highly appreciated by Hongren. He later returned and founded the Nanzong School. The statue was made of red copper in the second year of Duangong reign of Beizong Dynasty. It has a lifelike expression of sitting in meditation with its eyes closed. The Sixth Patriarch Hall is shaded by green banyan trees, with bodhi trees dancing in the air. The unique Banyan Pavilion and the inscription "Song of Proving the Way" written by Su Dongpo are hidden in the green shade. The inscription "Baozhuangyan Temple Relic Pagoda" written by Wang Bo of the Tang Dynasty is re-engraved. In the autumn of 1985, the Ministry of Education of Thailand presented a bronze statue of Sakyamuni Buddha with a height of 2.6 meters and a weight of one ton, which was enshrined in the Zhiyi Buddhist Hall. The Guanyin Hall, rebuilt in 1987, is 13 meters high and covers an area of ??233 square meters. It houses the bronze statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva cast in the second year of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty. It is four meters high and weighs five tons. In the same year, the reconstruction of the monk's residence (Zhaitang), Gongde Hall, Sutra Pavilion and other projects were also completed. Let the Liurong Ancient Temple regain its new appearance to welcome Buddhist disciples, guests and tourists from home and abroad to come and pay homage and visit.