Longshan Temple (Jinjiang)
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| Longshan Temple | |
|---|---|
龙山寺 | |
 A censer in front of a hall at Longshan Temple. | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Buddhism |
| Sect | Chan Buddhism |
| Location | |
| Location | Anhai Town, Jinjiang, Fujian |
| Country | China |
  Shown within Fujian | |
| Coordinates | 24°43′43″N 118°28′23″E / 24.728749°N 118.473053°E |
| Architecture | |
| Style | Chinese architecture |
| Established | 618–619 |
| Completed | 1708 (reconstruction) |
Longshan Temple (simplified Chinese: 龙山寺; traditional Chinese: 龍山寺; pinyin: Lóngshān Sì) is a Buddhist temple located on the foot of Mount Long (龙山; 'Dragon Mountain') in Anhai Town of Jinjiang, Fujian, China.[1] The eldest thing in the temple is the statue of Thousand-armed and eyed Guanyin, which was supposed carved by ancient Indian monk Yilisha (一粒沙).[2] It was transformed and expanded many times throughout Chinese history until now. There are dozens of which are built after the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Longshan Temple is the ancestral temple of 400 Buddhist temples with the same name in Taiwan.[3][4]
Tang dynasty
Longshan Temple was originally built between 618 and 619, at the dawn of the Tang dynasty (618–907). It initially called "Puxian Temple" (普现寺) and "Tianzhu Temple" (天竺寺; 'Temple of Tianzhu (India)'), more commonly known as the "Guanyin Hall" (观音殿). According to the temple's founding legend, there was orininally a giant camphor tree in the area, which covered the ground with thick shade and glowed at night. During the Eastern Han dynasty, an eminent Indian monk named Yīlìshā (一粒沙) believed that it was sacred and ordered craftsmen to carve it into a statue of the Thousand-Armed Thousand-Eyed Guanyin (千手千眼觀音; Qiānshǒu Qiānyǎn Guānyīn) and enshrine it within the temple.[5]
Ming dynasty
The temple underwent restoration in 1623, during the reign of Tianqi Emperor (1621–1627) in the late Ming dynasty (1368–1644).[5]
Qing dynasty
In 1684, in the 23rd year of Kangxi period (1662–1722) in the Qing dynasty (1644–1911), Shi Lang appropriated a large sum of money for repairing existing temple structures as well as constructing new building on the temple grounds. The temple was further expanded in 1708.[5]
People's Republic of China
Longshan Temple has been designated as a National Key Buddhist Temple in Han Chinese Area by the State Council of China in 1983.
In May 2013, Longshan Temple was listed among the seventh group of "Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Fujian" by the State Council of China.[2]