Lingyan Temple is located in Changqing District, Jinan. It was built in the Eastern Jin Dynasty with a history of more than 1600 years. The temple has a long history and the profound Buddhist cultures. Since the Tang Dynasty, it has been named as one of the "Four Famous Temples in China" together with Zhejiang’s Guoqing Temple, Nanjing’s Qixia Temple, and Hubei’s Yuquan Temple. Lingyan Temple is an important part of the world’s natural and cultural heritage. It is the National Cultural Relics Protection Unit.
Highlights of Lingyan Temple
Lingyan Temple was founded during the Eastern Jin Dynasty. The large-scale ancient building complex became famous and prosperous during the Northern Wei Period. There were once more than 50 halls with over 500 monks in the temple. Until 1749 of the Qing Dynasty, there were still 36 temples and 18 pavilions, all of which showed the ingenuity and superb carving skills of the ancient craftsmen.
Lingyan temple is well-known for its elegant springs and strange stones. The temple boasts charming but serene scenery with graceful and grotesque hills around.
The temple has the ancient cypresses, the winding Sandalwood, the Zhengming Hall, the Baiyun Cave, Thousand Buddha Hall, Pizhi Tower, Tomb Tower Forest, the steep cliff, and the Langgong Stone. Inside the temple the dark green ancient trees and various rocks stand beside the lofty halls. Surrounded by caves, gullies and verdant hills, the temple looks like a splendid painting.
Thousand Buddha Hall was built during the Tang Dynasty and rebuilt between Song and Ming dynasties. The existing hall has a wooden structure, grand and splendid. The Temple of Thousand Buddhas is built on the base of a tall platform on the hillside. Under the eaves is a sparse and magnificent bucket arch. The wooden ribs are painted ornately while the corners of the eaves are long and towering. There are eight stone pillars under the front eaves. The pillars are all carved with dragons, phoenixes, flowers, leaves and waves. The carvings are exquisite, highlighting the art style of the Tang and Song dynasties.
The most fascinating scenes in the Thousand Buddha Hall are the 40 colorful clay statues of arhat made during the Song Dynasty. The superb craftsmanship is highly praised by the tourists and scholars. Liang Qichao called them as the best statues within China. The statues of Lingyan Temple all look vivid.