Stories or Legends of Quanzhou Kaiyuan Temple

Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou

Signs of the fusion of Chinese and foreign cultures are even reflected in Buddhist temples. The largest Buddhist temple in Quanzhou, Kaiyuan Temple, was originally built during the reign of Emperor Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty, and Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty named the temple after the year of Kaiyuan. From the Five Dynasties to the Song Dynasty, 120 branch temples were set up next to the temple, which were merged into one temple in the Yuan Dynasty. Now covers an area of 50 acres. The temple is built on a grand scale with many dense ancient banyan trees. Daxiongbao Hall sculpture technology, especially the hall column head store Yanglian guard bucket on the pick out an arch, with wings attached to the carving of the top of the Flying Geisha 24, rare in the domestic ancient architecture. In front of the temple platform Sumeru seat of the 72 lion figures and human faces of lapis lazuli relief, the two ancient Brahmanical lapis lazuli columns in the rear corridor of the temple, above the ancient Egyptian myths and legends as well as India, Sri Lanka and other places of the Brahmanical myths, are relics of the Yuan Dynasty. The hall is supported by nearly one hundred huge stone pillars in the form of begonias, commonly known as the "Hall of One Hundred Pillars". These buildings reflect the influence of foreign cultures during the heyday of Quanzhou's openness in the Yuan Dynasty.