Putong Temple

The temple was built as "Guangli Chan Temple" (广利禅寺) by a renowned Chan master Chengguang (乘广) in 753, during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong in the Tang dynasty (618–907). It was enlarged by Chan master Zhenshu (甄叔) in the Dali era between 766 and 779.^[1]

During the ruling of Emperor Renzong (1023–1063) in the Song dynasty (960–1279), Yangqi Fanghui (杨岐方会), the Eighth Patriarch of Linji school and the founder of Yangqi sect, was invited to be the new abbot.^{[citation needed]} He renamed the temple "Putong Temple", which has been used to date.

In 1374, at the dawn of Ming dynasty (1368–1644), monk Siguan (嗣观) restored the temple.^{[citation needed]}

In 1736, in the 1st year of Qianlong period in the Qing dynasty (1644–1911), monks of Putong Temple raised funds to renovated and refurbished the temple.

In 1826, five years after the coronation of Daoguang Emperor, heavy rainfall in the mountain caused a catastrophic flood, Putong Temple was struck by it. In 1844, the reconstruction project of the temple was launched. The reconstruction took 7 years, and lasted from 1844 to 1850.^{[citation needed]}

On July 1, 1957, the Jiangxi Provincial Government inscribed the temple as a provincial level cultural heritage.

In 1966, Mao Zedong launched the ten-year Cultural Revolution, the Red Guards attacked the temple and the government forced monks to return to secular life.^{[citation needed]}

After the 3rd Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, according to the national policy of free religious belief, Putong Temple was reopened for worship on.^{[citation needed]}

In February 2010, Huitong (慧通) was proposed as the new abbot of Putong Temple.^[3] Two years later, Shi Yongxin, the abbot of Shaolin Monastery, was unanimously chosen as Huitong's successor.^[4]

In June 2013, the Stupa of Chengguang and the Stupa of Zhenshu were listed among the seventh group of "Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Jiangxi" by the State Council of China.^{[citation needed]}