Baoguang Temple
宝光寺
A thousand-year-old temple in Xindu, known for its Tang-dynasty relic pagoda and Qing-dynasty Hall of Five Hundred Arhats. It is one of the four major monastic centres of the upper Yangtze.
Baoguang Temple is located in Xindu District in northern Chengdu, about 20 km from the city centre. It was first built during the Eastern Han or the Sui and Tang periods. Emperor Xizong of the Tang dynasty stayed here during his flight to Shu to escape unrest. Inside, the Tang-dynasty Wugou Jingguang Treasure Pagoda, a 13-storey square brick pagoda with eaves, leans slightly to the west. The Arhat Hall holds more than 500 Qing-dynasty painted clay arhat sculptures, each with a distinct expression, which are among the finest arhat images in the country. The temple has vegetarian meals and a tea garden. Admission is low (check on site), and a visit takes about 1.5 hours. Take Metro Line 3 to the Xindu area and transfer to a bus. On the way out, you can visit Guihu Park, the former home of the Ming-dynasty scholar Yang Shengan.
Opening hours
About 08:00–17:30
Nearby sights
- Guihu Lake Park, Xindu
- Chengdu Botanical Garden
- Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding
- Chengdu Zoo
- Zhaojue Temple
- Chengdu Natural History Museum
- Eastern Suburb Memory
- Happy Valley Chengdu