On March 3 1 day, 2003 (February 29th of the lunar calendar), the foundation stone was laid for the Daxiong Hall of Yuantong Temple.
After nearly ten years' efforts, Yuantong Temple has begun to take shape.
Now Yuantong Temple covers an area of more than 60 mu, with a building area of10.9 million square meters. There are memorial archways, Heavenly King Hall, Ursa Major Hall, Guanyin Pavilion, and Tibetan Scripture Building.
The ancient trees in the temple are towering, and two trees are thousands of years old. The vigorous ancient apricot tree is a unique "Ten Scenery Tree" in Wujiang cultural landscape. The temple buildings are classical and magnificent, and the Buddha statues are solemn, kind and lifelike, and the characteristics of Guanyin Dojo of Lotus Buddhism can be felt everywhere. The open-air Jinyuguanyin and Guanyinge are large Guanyin statues in the south of the Yangtze River, which can be compared with Guanyin statues in Putuo Mountain and Jinding in Emei Mountain. Classical garden buildings, small bridges and flowing water, lotus fountains and rockery caves are beautiful, just like fairyland, with a long history and rich cultural landscape.
Integrating religion and culture, it is a famous temple in the south of the Yangtze River with a history of thousands of years.
There are three stone pagodas in the square in front of the temple, among which is the word "Yuantong Temple" inscribed by Nan, a famous master of Chinese studies in Taiwan Province.
On both sides, there are couplets inscribed by Mr. Nan and Taiwan Province calligraphers: "The bells in Bai Fan are silent and free, and the fish and dust in Jiangfeng see the Buddha", which integrates Buddhist philosophy with the scenery of Jiangnan water town.
Inside the archway, there is a plaque inscribed by Guan Che, deputy secretary-general of Suzhou Buddhist Association and president of Wuzhong Buddhist Association.
Passing through the archway and entering the mountain gate along the central axis, it is the Tianwang Hall. The word "Tianwang Hall" was inscribed by Mr. Xu Liming, a famous calligrapher in Jiangsu.
Maitreya Buddha, a smiling Buddha, is enshrined in the center of the Temple of the King of Heaven.
Behind Maitreya Bodhisattva, Wei Tuo Bodhisattva, dressed in armor and holding a diamond pestle, has a strong desire to protect and educate.
The four majestic kings are the good gods who protect Buddhism, that is, the king who holds the country in the East, the king who grows in the South, the king who has wide eyes in the West and the king who hears in the North, each holding a symbol of good weather, prosperity and national security to protect Buddhism and defend the country.
The plaque I saw when I walked out of Tianwang Temple was inscribed by Qi Gong, the former chairman of China Calligraphers Association, as "Three-continent Induction".
Out of the palace, there are bell and drum towers on both sides.
Right in the middle is the Hall of Daxiong, and the inscription "Hall of Daxiong" is written in gold by Mr. Yu Deming, a famous calligrapher in Zhejiang.
There are three Tathagata in Daxiong Hall, among which the Buddha is Sakyamuni Buddha, the oriental pharmacist on the left and the western Amitabha Buddha on the right, which are solemn and sacred.
Behind the temple is Aoyu Island, where 32 clay sculptures should be lifelike, 53 Zen Buddhas, and a gifted scholar are vivid and lifelike.
Above the back door of Daxiong Hall, there is a plaque "Cihang Pudu" inscribed by Qiu Shuang, vice president of Suzhou Buddhist Association and abbot of Hanshan Temple.
There is a release pond behind the Hall of Great Heroes. After the release pond arch bridge, it is the "Guanyin Pavilion".
Guanyin Pavilion is a two-story building with a statue of Guanyin with a thousand hands carved from camphor wood, with a height of 1 1.38 m, made by Ningbo Hongtuo Sculpture Co., Ltd., all of which are gilded.
There is a Suzhou garden-style landscape park on the west side of the temple, with more than 40 acres. Small bridges, pavilions, trees and flowers in the park are a leisure and sightseeing activity.
Temples and gardens are integrated, reflecting each other and complementing each other. Purple smoke fills the air and Sanskrit sounds.
The main scenic spots in the West Garden of Yuantong Temple are the open-air statue of Jade Guanyin, lotus pond, lotus pond, full moon tower, cloister, waterside pavilion, dry boat, tea room, conference reception room, Jiuqu stone bridge, lake pavilion, Cixiao pavilion, fake cave, exotic flowers and herbs, goldfish and tortoise, etc. The scenery is elegant, with the characteristics of Jiangnan garden school, especially this dry boat and the retreat garden.