Kaiyuan Temple & Twin Pagodas
开元寺
A Tang-dynasty temple with China's tallest pair of Song-dynasty stone pagodas, flying apsaras on its hall brackets and Hindu stone pillars. It is the first stop in the World Heritage city of Quanzhou.
Kaiyuan Temple is on West Street in Licheng District. It was first built in the second year of the Chuigong era of the Tang dynasty (686) and is the largest Buddhist temple in Fujian. It is also a core heritage site of the World Heritage property “Quanzhou: Emporium of the World in Song-Yuan China.” Highlights: the twin Song-dynasty stone pagodas, the Zhenguo Pagoda to the east (48 m) and the Renshou Pagoda to the west (45 m). These five-story octagonal pagodas imitate wooden architecture, with carved Buddhas and warrior figures on their walls. They are the tallest surviving pair of stone pagodas in China and a symbol of Quanzhou. In the Great Hall (Hundred-Pillar Hall), 24 flying apsara musicians are carved on the brackets. Two stone pillars from a Yuan-dynasty Hindu temple stand in the rear corridor, evidence of the cultural mix brought by maritime trade. Also worth seeing: the Ganlu Ordination Platform, one of China's three surviving great ordination platforms; the thousand-year-old mulberry tree known as “Sanglian Fajie”; the Master Hongyi Memorial Hall; and the Quanzhou Bay Ancient Ship Exhibition Hall, which displays a Song-dynasty shipwreck (check its opening hours separately). Admission is free and no reservation is needed. Allow 1.5–2 hours. You can rent an audio guide or join a volunteer guide inside. Getting there: it's in the old city center and can be reached on foot from West Street. A taxi from Quanzhou Station takes about 20 minutes. Tips: dress modestly, and photography is not allowed inside the halls. Qinfo Day, the 26th day of each lunar month, brings huge crowds and very busy incense offerings. The pagodas cannot be climbed. The best photo spots are the rooftop cafés along West Street and around the Bell Tower.
Opening hours
08:00–17:30
Nearby sights
- West Street (Xijie)
- Yuanhe 1916 Creative Park
- Zhongshan Road & Bell Tower
- Quanzhou Confucian Temple
- Chengtian Temple
- Qingjing Mosque
- Tonghuai Guanyue Temple
- Quanzhou Tianhou Temple