Xuzhou | Bao Lian Temple, a thousand-year-old temple, is surprisingly the first Indian-style temple in China

🚗 Bao Lian Temple is located at the foot of Pantao Mountain in Xuzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone, Jiangsu Province, covering an area of more than 1,100 acres. It was first built during the Liu Song Dynasty in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and also during the Yongxing period of the Northern Wei Dynasty. It was originally the first temple in China with an Indian style. Its founder, Master Faxian, was also the first high monk in history to return from the West to fetch the scriptures. 🚗 Bao Lian Temple has experienced several ups and downs over a thousand years. It was first called Longhua Temple, then Hongfeng Temple, and Honglian Temple. It was named Bao Lian Temple during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty and was abandoned on the eve of liberation. In 2009, the Xuzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone decided to rebuild the Pantao Mountain Historical and Cultural Scenic Area. The project was initiated by the Hong Kong Jin Feng Company, approved by the Jiangsu Provincial Religious Affairs Bureau for reconstruction, and the temple name was personally inscribed by Master Xingyun. The rebuilt Bao Lian Temple has "eight halls, two pavilions, and one courtyard", and its architectural features show the style of the Tang Dynasty. 🚗 Among the buildings, the Seven Buddha Hall is currently the largest Daxiong Bao Hall in China, with a construction area of 2,377 square meters; the hall houses a 37.5-meter-long and 9.5-meter-high Nanhai Bay Guanyin mural, which is currently the largest Buddhist-themed mural in China in terms of single body area; the Tongtian Pavilion is 59.88 meters high, which is currently the highest Buddhist pavilion in China, enshrining the true body of Maitreya Bodhisattva---Tianguan Maitreya; the Buddha statue is 39.88 meters high, which is also currently the largest indoor forged copper Buddha statue in China.