Xiangguo Temple

Xiangguo Temple is one of the more famous Buddhist temples in China. Built in the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the temple reached its splendor period in the Tang and Song Dynasties favored by the imperial rulers. In the Arhat Hall of this temple is an impressive statue of a Bodhisattva carved from a single gingko trunk. Destroyed by a Yellow River flood at the end of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), it was reconstructed again at the beginning of the Qing Dynasty.

The temple was rebuilt in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), and was bestowed the name Xiangguo Temple by Emperor Ruizong. The temple reached its heyday in the Song Dynasty (960-1279). It became an international Buddhism center, attracting many foreign envoys and great monks. It contributed a lot to the cultural exchanges between China and other countries.

Like most of the Buddhist temples in China, the main axis consists of an arch gate, Devajara Hall (Hall of Heavenly Kings), Mahavira Hall (Daxiong Baodian), an octagonal glazed hall (Arhat Hall) and the Sutra-Keeping Hall. Side rooms flank the axis on each side. The whole complex features Qing-style architecture.

Stepping through the gate, you will first see the Bell Tower and Drum Tower as in most Buddhist temples. The bell hanging here weighs five tons and is 2.23 meters (7.3 feet) tall. Its grazioso sound echoes all over the city, especially in winter. Xiangguo Shuang Zhong (the beautiful sound of the bell on a frosty day) is one of the Eight Scenes of Bianjing (nowadays Kaifeng).

Inside Heavenly Kings Hall sits Maitreya (also called Future Buddha), a stout Buddha with a broad smile on his face and his breast and paunch exposed to the public. The Heavenly Kings are respectively standing beside Maitreya with sword, lute, blue umbrella and silver snake in their hands which represent feng, tiao, yu, shun (The four Chinese characters used to describe the optimal weather for agriculture). Behind Maitreya is the statue of a general called Wei Tuo, the protective god of Buddhism. As the legend goes, after the Nirvana of Sakyamuni, his relics were stolen by the devils. It was Wei Tuo who battled the devils and recovered the relics. He was then revered as Wei Tuo Buddha and worshiped in most Buddhist temples.

The most remarkable structure in the temple is the Arhat Hall, which is also called Octagonal Glazed Hall. Inside, the towering Octagonal Pavilion houses a wooden statue of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, which was carved from the bole of a huge gingko tree during the reign of Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty. The four sides of the statue are of the same sculpt. On each side, there are six big hands and three to four layers of small fanlike hands, with an eye on each palm. The number of the hands totals 1,048, and likewise the number of the eyes. The statue highly embodies the fine works of the Qing Dynasty. Don't you think it is amazing?

In addition, the temple holds annual activities like lantern exhibitions on the Lantern Festival, chrysanthemum exhibitions and the great prayer festival of water and land. On the occasion, pilgrims from home and abroad will assemble here to celebrate the holidays.
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