Baotong Buddhist Temple
With a rich history that dates back to over 1500 years ago, the Baotong Buddhist Temple is situated in somewhat of a concealed location, on Hongshan Hill's southern foot.
Where the Baotong Buddhist Temple stands today was its preceding temple by the name of Dongshan Temple, which was prevalent in the Southern Dynasties' early Liusong period, of around 420-499 A.D.
In a bid to make his mark on history, the Southern Song Dynasty emperor, Kang Xi, had the Shuizhou Temple moved to that site, thus effecting the change of Dongshan Temple's name to Hongshan, which was then changed in the mid-1980s to the present-day Baotong Buddhist Temple.
The temple is south-facing in orientation, constructed against the mountain, with the vermeil gate bearing the words "Bao Tong Chan Si", embossed in gold.
Highlights
While there are many things to see in the temple, including the Meditation Hall, the Great Hall and the Abbots Hall, what you'd probably look forward to seeing the most are the old nearly-900-year-old iron bells which are responsible for the temple being previously popular for the sound of those loud bells in the region.
The Yuan Dynasty Hongshan Pagoda and the stone lions should also be on the list of must-sees, with the customary seven-storey climb up the grand towering Hongshan Pagoda rounding off a great tour of the Baotong Buddhist Temple.
The Baotong Buddhist Temple was destroyed by fire a few times in its long history, so the mere fact that tourists can enjoy it today is a privilege that few people will be lucky enough to enjoy.
Since the custodians of the Baotong Buddhist Temple, which would naturally be expected to be of the Buddhism faith, see the temple as a place of worship and spiritual enlightenment, if not spiritual significance, this accounts for there being no admission fee, so tourists get to enjoy all the history of the attraction at no cost, with a surrounding view to match.
How to Get There
Three busses service the area, namely 519, 557 and 608, so those who are headed in the direction of the Baotong Buddhist Temple will terminate at the Hongshan Bus Stop.
Operating Time: 07:00-16:00
