Kaiyuan Temple, Chaozhou

开元寺

A temple founded by imperial decree in 738 during the Tang dynasty. It is the oldest temple in eastern Guangdong, with a Song-era main hall, a Yuan-era incense burner and a Ming-era Great Compassion Hall. Inside the old city, it is a blessed ground for a million households.

Kaiyuan Temple is on Kaiyuan Road in the old city of Chaozhou. It was built by imperial decree in 738, in the 26th year of the Kaiyuan era under Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang dynasty. It is one of China's ten major Kaiyuan Temples and the largest and best-preserved ancient temple in eastern Guangdong. The temple holds a Tang-era sutra pillar, the Song-era Great Hero Hall (its beam frames and bracket sets retain Song construction methods), a Yuan-era bronze incense burner and 'Thousand Buddha Pagoda' stone carvings, and a Ming-era Great Compassion Hall and Scripture Library. It also has many stone steles from various dynasties, which is why it is known as the 'oldest temple in eastern Guangdong'. The grounds are spacious, with large courtyards and ancient trees between the halls. This contrasts with the busy Archway Street outside. Locals often come here to worship and drink tea. The Chaozhou wood carvings, porcelain-inlaid roof ridges and painted decorations inside are also finely made. Entry is free, though sometimes a small fee of a few yuan is charged. A visit takes about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Kaiyuan Temple, Archway Street, Xu Fuma Mansion and Jilue Huang Ancestral Hall are each within a 10-minute walk of one another. Getting there: walk within the old city, about 10 minutes from Guangji Gate. Notes: photography is not allowed inside the halls, so please keep quiet. There are vegetarian restaurants and tea houses on the grounds where you can rest. There are many worshippers on the 1st and 15th days of the lunar month.

Kaiyuan Temple, Chaozhou

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