EXTRA: Nan Shaolin Temple, Putian, Fujian

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on November 25, 2013.)

This Laughing Buddha (弥勒佛) sits in the Heavenly Kings' Hall (天王殿)
at Nan Shaolin Temple (南少林寺), Putian, Fujian (福建, 莆田市).

October 29, 2011 - After visiting three temples in a day, I was planning to sleep late, write up my notes, and slowly make my way back to Fuzhou and my flight home. Alternatively, if I had the energy, I might have visited the Tian Hou/Mazu temple on a nearby island, the site of that Daoist sea-goddess's birth.

But as happened before, my friend Venerable Deru had other plans for me. He had arranged for a friend to come pick me up and take me to Nan Shaolin Temple. After he had nagged me about this for days, saying, "It's very historic," I told him that if I tried to go to every "historic" temple in China, I'd be dead before I finished!

No. 79: Guangxiao Temple, Putian, Fujian

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on November 11, 2013.)

One of the fierce Wisdom Kings (明王) in a rear hall at Guangxiao Temple (光孝寺), Putian,
Fujian (福建, 莆田市). These esoteric (密宗) figures are especially popular in Japanese temples.

October 28, 2011 - With a little time to spare, I reached my third temple of the day, Putian's Guangxiao ("Bright Filial Piety") Temple (also known as Meifeng--"Plum Peak"--Temple).

No. 78: Guanghua Temple, Putian, Fujian

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on November 4, 2013.)

These small Buddhas (佛) are on the side of a small pagoda (塔)
at Guanghua Temple (广化寺), Putian, Fujian (福建, 莆田市).

October 28, 2011 - It took quite a while--over an hour--to catch a taxi from the more remote Cishou Temple, but once I did, it was a relatively short ride to my second temple of the day, Guanghua Temple.

No. 77: Nangshan Cishou Temple, Putian, Fujian

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on October 28, 2013.)

This new hall (殿) at Nangshan Cishou Temple (囊山慈寿寺) in Putian, Fujian (福建, 莆田市), shows a very
high standard of workmanship. Note the open doorways, where the doors haven't yet been installed.

October 28, 2011 - My only full day in the city of Putian, across the straits from Taiwan, would be a busy one. I hoped to see three temples in the day; but as all were located in or near the city (none were in the far-off mountains) I was pretty sure I could do it.

Following my practice of visiting the farthest temple first, I took a taxi the 15 kilometers or so north to Cishou ("Compassionate Life") Temple. The temple was beautifully situated on a mountainside, but there was a huge amount of construction going on. I'm sure by now it's magnificent, as this was two years ago today (two-and-a-half as I edit this for the website).

No. 76: Wanfu Temple, Fuqing, Fujian

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on October 21, 2013.)

The seven pagodas (塔) are at the south end of the compound at
Wanfu Temple (万福寺) in tropical Fuqing, Fujian (福建, 福清市).

October 27, 2011 - Finishing up in Fuzhou, I would move to Putian to see several more temples. There was, however, one located in Fuqing, between the two cities, that I would stop and see on the way.

No. 75: Yongquan Temple, Fuzhou, Fujian

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on October 14, 2013.)

This Guanyin (观音) stands behind the Abbot's (方丈) Reception
Room at Yongquan Temple (涌泉寺), Fuzhou, Fujian (福建, 福州市).

October 26, 2011 - My friend the monk, Venerable Deru, came from a family that had made its living picking tea. His brother was still in the tea business in Fuzhou. So the day after our tour of Fu'an, I met Deru's brother Chen Hui at "Haixi Tea City," a tea sales area in Fuzhou, and we took a bus to Gushan ("Drum Mountain"), site of Yongquan ("Gushing Spring") Temple.

EXTRA: Other Temples in Ningde, Fujian

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on September 30, 2013.)

The bamboo forest (竹林) behind tiny Shuiyun Temple (水云寺) at the
foot of Zhiti Mountain (支提山) in Ningde, Fujian (福建, 宁德市).

October 25, 2011 - After we visited remote Huayan Temple on Zhiti Mountain, my friend Ven. Deru wanted to take me to several other temples in northern Fujian, especially in his town of Fu'an. According to the monk, this town of 600,000 (200,000 in the city center) has over 300 Buddhist temples! Many, however, are no more than a single small hall.

No. 74: Zhiti Huayan Temple, Ningde, Fujian

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on September 23, 2013.)

The "Soul Cow" (灵牛) at Zhiti Huayan Temple (支提华严寺) in Ningde, Fujian (福建,
宁德市). It's said that the cow went down on its knees whenever anyone said "Namo
Amitofo" (南无阿弥陀佛) (the name of Amitabha Buddha) to it. It had been saved from
butchering and brought to the temple for refuge--and this was only in the 1980s!

October 25, 2011 - The Huayan Temple on Zhiti Shan in Ningde, Fujian, holds a special place in my heart. It was one of the first Chinese temples I slept in, back in 2006, when I taught about 100 young people there for a week. That's when I met one of my best monk friends, Venerable Deru.

No. 73: Xichan Temple, Fuzhou, Fujian

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on September 16, 2013.)

A statue of Vairocana Buddha (毗卢遮那佛) at Xichan Temple (西禅寺), Fuzhou, Fujian (福建, 福州市).

October 24, 2011 - It was nearly 4 p.m. when I reached Xichan ("Western Zen") Temple, but although the halls would close around 6, the grounds would stay open until 7:30!

No. 72: Linyang Temple, Fuzhou, Fujian

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on September 9, 2013.)

One of many statues showing the forms of Guanyin (观音) in a rear
hall at Linyang Temple (林阳寺), Fuzhou, Fujian (福建, 福州市).

October 24, 2011 - Once again, reaching a mountain temple--this one named Linyang Temple--was a challenge, perhaps the greatest I had faced on my pilgrimage so far. My friend at the front desk of my hotel saved the day again!

No. 71: Xuefeng Chongsheng Temple, Fuzhou, Fujian

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on September 2, 2013.)

Gate to a small compound outside of Xuefeng Chongsheng Temple
(雪峰崇圣寺), in the mountains above Fuzhou, Fujian (福建, 福州市).

October 23, 2011 - Reaching Xuefeng Chongsheng Temple involved a local bus to a long-distance bus station, then a two-hour mini-bus ride, over half of it on a twisty mountain road. (Thank goodness for the girl at the front desk of my hotel, who helped me figure it all out.)

No. 70: Dizang Temple, Fuzhou, Fujian

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on August 26, 2013.)

This was the first of several odd, barrel-shaped stupas (塔) I saw near Fuzhou, Fujian
(福建, 福州市). This one is at Dizang Temple (地藏寺), one of the oldest in Fujian.

October 22, 2011 - My next trip took me to the area of Fuzhou in northern Fujian Province. From the airport, I took a bus into town and a taxi straight to my first temple--even before checking in at the hotel!

Dizang Temple was named for Kshitigarbha Bodhisattva, who promised to save all six kinds of beings from their respective levels of hell. Typically for a temple dedicated to this "savior of the dead," many of the halls in this small temple functioned as a mausoleum.

Trip 12: Fujian North(Fuzhou, Ningde, Fuqing, Putian)(October 22-29, 2011)

This is a record of my twelfth trip to visit the 142 Key Temples of China. Links lead to articles on the temple (or other site) named.