Tianning & Chongning Temples
天宁寺
The site of Qianlong's southern-tour lodgings, Tianning Temple is hailed as the “First Temple of Jiangnan” and now houses the Yangzhou Buddhist Culture Museum. The neighboring Chongning Temple has grand halls.
Tianning Temple is east of the south gate of Slender West Lake, opposite the Imperial Pier. Tradition holds that it dates to the Eastern Jin dynasty, and in the Qing it ranked first among Yangzhou's eight great temples. The Qianlong Emperor set up a temporary palace here during his six southern tours, and Cao Yin once presided over the printing of the Complete Tang Poetry here. The temple now houses the Yangzhou Buddhist Culture Museum, and its Heavenly King Hall, Great Hall, and Huayan Pavilion are well preserved. To the north, Chongning Temple, built in the Qianlong era, has a vast main hall; it is also a national key heritage site (the coordinates refer to Chongning Temple). Check on site for tickets; a visit takes about an hour. At the Imperial Pier outside, you can take the “Qianlong Water Tour Route” by boat to Slender West Lake.
Opening hours
08:30–17:00
Nearby sights
- Shi Kefa Memorial Hall
- Yechun Teahouse
- Ge Garden
- Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou Memorial Hall
- Dongguan Street
- Wenchang Pavilion
- Pishi Street
- Renfengli Lane