[Photo from guilin.com]

Jianshan Temple is situated at the foot of Yunji Mountain in the Moon Hill Tourism Scenic Area in Yangshuo County, Guilin. It was built in AD 713 (Tang Dynasty), and operated in a religious capacity for over 1200 years, throughout Song (960-1279), Yuan (1271-1368), Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, before being destroyed during the wars in 1916.

The temple was rebuilt in 1999 and a grand consecration ceremony was held in 2001. When first built, the temple, named “Linjiang Temple” was much smaller than the one we see today. As a renowned Monk of the Tang Dynasty, Jianzhen delivered courses to Buddhist disciplines at the temple, and it was renamed the Jianzhen Temple in his honor. Its current abbot is the master Shi Hongman.

The rebuilt Jianshan Temple is antique, elegant and grandiose, and emulates the ancient architectural style of the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907). It is located at the junction of three rivers: the Yulong River, Jinbao River and Tianjia River. Behind it is the Yunji Mountain. From the temple, one can reach the Terrace on Yunji Mountain, the best place to appreciate Yangshuo landscape.

The Scenic Area takes up an area of 35 mu (2.3 hectares), with a total construction area of 6000 square meters. The main buildings are built north-south along the mountain, from the gate to the monasteries. The buildings include the Hall of Heavenly Kings, Mahavira Hall (The Great Buddha's Hall) and Sutra Library (Jianzhen Museum). Over 40 Buddha statues are enshrined here, including the two ferocious gigantic guardians, a Laughing Buddha, Wei-To (Skanda), and Four Heavenly Kings. The 7-meter-tall statues of the Medicine Guru Buddha in the 18-meter-tall Mahavira Hall creates a solemn environment and shows the excellent sculpturing skills of ancient Chinese artists.

Situated in the well-known Moon Hill Scenic Area alongside other tourist sites such as the Big Banyan Tree, Dragon Cave and Moon Hill, Jianshan Temple is a religious venue that combines Buddhist culture with natural scenery.