China Travel Guide

Nanputuo Temple is located at the foot of Wulao Mountain (Five Old Men Mountain) and facing the sea. It is deemed to be one of the must-go tourist places in Xiamen. This Buddhist temple was once called Puzhao Temple (Universal Grace Temple). It was first built during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) and was later destroyed in the warfare during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD). The temple covers 30,000 square meters with four main buildings on the north-south axis. The buildings include three Buddha Halls and a pavilion built in 1936 in which Buddhist scriptures, Buddha images from Burma, ivory sculptures and other works of art are stored. Many rooms flanking the main buildings include dormitories, libraries and study rooms for monks. Also called the Hall of Heavenly Kings (Tian Wang Dian), The Tianwang Buddha Hall is the location of the statues of four ferocious Heavenly Kings. In the center of the hall stood a fat Buddha named Milefo. Mahavira (meaning the Buddha of the future) Hall is built in 1921 and features the statues of the Trinity of the Three Ages (present, past and future). The Dabei Buddha Hall in this temple is an octagonal tower which was rebuilt in 1928. The Sutra-Keeping Pavilion was built in 1936 and houses thousands of Buddhist scriptures, Buddha images from Burma, ivory Sculptures, wood sculptures, bronze bells, incense burner and other works of art.

Name: Xiamen Nanputuo Temple (Nanputuo Si)
City: Xiamen
Address: The foot of Wulao Peak/near Xiamen University
Admission: CNY3
Hours: 04:00 am -06:00 pm
Tel: 0086-592-2087282