Location of Kaiyuan Temple
The Kaiyuan Temple is at 32 Kaiyuan Road in Chaozhou. Kaiyuan Temple was first built in 738 AD in the 26th year under the reign of Emperor Tang Xuanzong, the site enjoys a history of about 1,200 years. The complex has been redesigned or reconstructed ten times since then. The present building that we see today made of wood and stone is built about 200 years ago. It is Chaozhou's biggest ancient temple complex.
Features of Kaiyuan Temple
The top of the temple is ornamented with glazed tile. The framework has tenons that look into each other and brackets that help to support the weight of the building. Though the building looks run-down, it is important for Buddhist scholarship, because a complete set of Buddhist scriptures is housed there. After a thousand years of wars and natural calamities, the Kaiyuan Temple still remains ancient Tang Dynasty and Song Dynasty architectural styles, and artifacts from as far as Tang Dynasty are still housed there.
The big bronze bell, which is 1.7 meters high and 1.05 meters in circumference is the symbol of the temple, weighs more than 1,500 kilograms. This bell was made by the Chaozhou Diamond Sutra Agent in 1114 AD and it is now still in good condition, and still rings.
There are 78 stone enclosures with fantastic sculptures at the front of the Great Hall. These carvings show scenes from Buddhist stories and also some natural scenes. In the middle of the Great Hall, there is a big stone enclosure carved with some Chinese characters.
There is a red bronze censer in the temple. It is said that this censer was donated by a Korean monk in the Tang Dynasty. There are words on it telling this history.
Besides, there is a gold and lacquer wood pagoda, 6 feet tall, with a hexagonal outline, it is handed down from the Ming Dynasty. There are seven layers and each has a theme. This pagoda has a complex and beautifully carved structure, most of which are connected to Buddhism.
In the scripture storing tower, there is a set of scriptures called Stored Dragon or Dragon Hiding which was published in the Qing Dynasty, when there were only 100 Dragon Store books, preserved by the Monk Jinghui and well-preserved since then. This is a complete set, with 7,240 volumes consisted by 724 parcels. In the 1700s, Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty had ordered a part of the scriptures in the Dragon Store copies destroyed together with some other religious books.
In 1987, the State Bureau of Cultural Relics and State Bureau of Publication granted approval to publish the Dragon Store. In order to find a complete version of the Dragon Store, people exerted a lot of effort, finally, a complete copy was found there.
The Kaiyuan Temple is at 32 Kaiyuan Road in Chaozhou. Kaiyuan Temple was first built in 738 AD in the 26th year under the reign of Emperor Tang Xuanzong, the site enjoys a history of about 1,200 years. The complex has been redesigned or reconstructed ten times since then. The present building that we see today made of wood and stone is built about 200 years ago. It is Chaozhou's biggest ancient temple complex.
Features of Kaiyuan Temple
The top of the temple is ornamented with glazed tile. The framework has tenons that look into each other and brackets that help to support the weight of the building. Though the building looks run-down, it is important for Buddhist scholarship, because a complete set of Buddhist scriptures is housed there. After a thousand years of wars and natural calamities, the Kaiyuan Temple still remains ancient Tang Dynasty and Song Dynasty architectural styles, and artifacts from as far as Tang Dynasty are still housed there.
The big bronze bell, which is 1.7 meters high and 1.05 meters in circumference is the symbol of the temple, weighs more than 1,500 kilograms. This bell was made by the Chaozhou Diamond Sutra Agent in 1114 AD and it is now still in good condition, and still rings.
There are 78 stone enclosures with fantastic sculptures at the front of the Great Hall. These carvings show scenes from Buddhist stories and also some natural scenes. In the middle of the Great Hall, there is a big stone enclosure carved with some Chinese characters.
There is a red bronze censer in the temple. It is said that this censer was donated by a Korean monk in the Tang Dynasty. There are words on it telling this history.
Besides, there is a gold and lacquer wood pagoda, 6 feet tall, with a hexagonal outline, it is handed down from the Ming Dynasty. There are seven layers and each has a theme. This pagoda has a complex and beautifully carved structure, most of which are connected to Buddhism.
In the scripture storing tower, there is a set of scriptures called Stored Dragon or Dragon Hiding which was published in the Qing Dynasty, when there were only 100 Dragon Store books, preserved by the Monk Jinghui and well-preserved since then. This is a complete set, with 7,240 volumes consisted by 724 parcels. In the 1700s, Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty had ordered a part of the scriptures in the Dragon Store copies destroyed together with some other religious books.
In 1987, the State Bureau of Cultural Relics and State Bureau of Publication granted approval to publish the Dragon Store. In order to find a complete version of the Dragon Store, people exerted a lot of effort, finally, a complete copy was found there.
Source...