Luzhi Baosheng Temple

Founded in 503 with more than 1500 years’ history, Luzhi Baosheng Temple is the first level important historic and cultural site under the state protection. Baosheng Temple is a time-honored temple in Jiangnan. In temple, there are 9 clay statues of arhats created by famous sculptor named Yang Huizhi of Tang Dynasty. It is well preserved after a long-time unstable experience. There are still more than 200 rooms in temple. And the layout has been still kept well. It boasts one of top-four temples in Jiangnan area. The existed buildings include: Ershanmen or The Second Mountain Gate,Tianwangdian or Heavenly-King Hall and Guwuguan or Antique Museum and so on. The authoritative calligraphist Zhao Mengfu once was proud to give his inscription of couplet. In temples, many relics such as Douyachi or Lake of Dallying with Duck, Xiaohongqiao or Small Rainbow Bridge and Qingfengting or Clear-Wind Pavilion and so on are the former living places of Lu Guimeng who was the famous poets and literary master of late Tang Dynasty.

At the peak time of Baosheng Temple, it had more than 5000 halls and rooms as well as thousands of monks; also, the area of the temple covers half town. The current temple was rebuilt in Qing dynasty under the reign of Emperor Qianlong. Entering Ershanmen, visitors can see the grandness of Tianwangdian, which is strongly featured by Single-Eave Xieshan-Style Roof. Historically, there were four clay statues themed with Four Heaven Kings, but during anti-Japanese war, they were destroyed by Japanese invaders. Currently it is the display hall of unearthed antiques and relics.

On the northern side of Tianwangdian, it is the garden. In the garden there are two antiques, one is greenstone sutra place and the other is iron-made bell. This iron bell is the treasure of temple and also the evidence of temple history. This temple was casted in the time of late Ming dynasty and early Qing dynasty with more than 300 years’ history. The bell was also inscribed several Chinese characters with auspicious meaning like: 风调雨顺(good weather for the crops) and 五谷丰登(A bumper harvest of the five cereals). On the sutra, hearing the bell of temple is good for clearing away anxiety, improving wisdom and giving birth to Buddha. Playing bell in Buddhism is also a well-doing behavior.