Having survived over 300 years of continuous cycles of decline and prosperity, the temple has always played a major role in leading the rest of the temples in the city with influential Buddhist ceremonies. The garden style temple has a delicate design and a compact distribution.
Interspersed by parterres and kiosks, the temple comprises five courtyards: the western courtyard, the eastern courtyard, the middle courtyard, the northern courtyard and the southern courtyard. The temple’s distribution resembles the shape of a cassock. One enters the temple through the eastern courtyard and to the right is the northern courtyard in which Kwan-yin Bodhisattva, Dashizhi Bodhisattva and Amitabha can be worshipped. The courtyard includes the Sutra Collection Pavilion which houses a diverse collection of Buddha figures, cultural relics of Buddhism, stone carvings, religious paraphernalia, calligraphies, paintings and imported books.
The largest Buddha figure of the temple is kept in the middle courtyard and to its north is the statue of a lion which is believed to represent Sakyamuni in his pre-existence. One of China’s five best halls, the Lohan Hall can be found in the southern courtyard. It consists of 500 vivid lohans(arhats). The most fascinating aspect of these lohans is that each lohan has its own unique posture, expression ad appearance.
The temple daily attracts local and foreign visitors alike to admire its distinctive architecture and the collection of interior features. In 1983, the Guiyuan Buddhist Temple was appointed by the State Council as one of the most significant Buddhist temples of China’s Han nationality.
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