The Sui and Tang Dynasties' Buddhist capital, Qinglian Temple, is now officially open!

Qinglian Temple, originally named "Xiaoshi Temple," got its name for being located at the foot of Xiaoshi Mountain in the southeast of Zezhou County. It was founded by the Northern Qi monk Huaiyuan Chan Master (523-592). Qinglian Temple is divided into the ancient temple and the new temple, which are about a kilometer apart and belong to the Pure Land Sect and the Tiantai Sect, respectively. The Daochang New Temple was named "Fuyan Chan Courtyard" by imperial grant in the third year of the Song Dynasty's Taiping Xingguo era (978). The construction of Qinglian Temple is closely related to the activities of the founder of the Pure Land Sect, the eminent monk Huaiyuan, who was active here. The ancient temple was initially built during the Northern Qi Dynasty's Tianbao era and was completed through the efforts of the Northern Qi, Northern Zhou, Sui, and Tang Dynasties, serving as a Maitreya Pure Land Sect monastery. The main buildings of the lower temple include the main hall and the south hall. The main hall houses a broad Buddha altar with six Tang Dynasty colored sculptures still in existence, which are among the seventy-plus sculptures from three locations of the Tang Dynasty found nationwide. The south hall has twelve colored sculptures, which continue the Tang style, focusing on realism and vividly conveying emotions. The main buildings of the upper temple include the Heavenly King Hall, the Sutra Tower, the Shakyamuni Hall, the Mahavira Hall, the Arhat Hall (Guanyin Hall), and the Ksitigarbha Hall, among others. The Shakyamuni Hall was built in the fourth year of Song Zhezong's Yuanyou era (1089), with Song Dynasty inscriptions on the stone door frames and column heads, and the hall preserves Song Dynasty colored sculptures; the Guanyin Hall and Ksitigarbha Hall are remnants of the Northern Song Dynasty, with the latter two reconstructed during the Qing Dynasty. The colored sculptures are also Song Dynasty relics, redecorated during the Ming Dynasty and modern times. During the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, I went to Qinglian Temple with volunteer friends for a study tour. Now, the Tang Dynasty colored sculptures in the lower temple and the Northern Song Dynasty colored sculptures in the upper temple can be photographed (except for the Ksitigarbha Hall and the Throwing Pen Platform, which continue to undergo maintenance), and other buildings are normally open!