Baohua Mountain & Longchang Temple
宝华山·隆昌寺
Longchang Temple on Baohua Mountain, known as the 'First Famous Mountain of the Vinaya School.' It is a Buddhist ordination center from the Ming and Qing dynasties, with the brick Hall of Thousand Buddhas and the bronze hall as highlights. The Qianhua Ancient Village lies at the foot of the mountain.
Baohua Mountain lies in northern Jurong City, near Qixia District of Nanjing. It is a national forest park with dense forest cover. The mountain takes its name from the Southern Dynasty monk Baozhi, who built a hermitage here. Longchang Temple, on the mountainside, is the ancestral temple of the Buddhist Vinaya School and is known as the 'First Famous Mountain of the Vinaya School.' During the Ming and Qing dynasties, monks from across the country came here for ordination, and emperors Kangxi and Qianlong visited several times. The temple's layout is distinctive. Highlights include the Great Hero Hall, the ordination platform, the Bronze Hall, and the Hall Without Beams, a brick-and-stone vaulted structure from the Wanli period of the Ming dynasty that uses not a single wooden beam. The monks' quarters and alleyways within the temple preserve its simple, old-style layout, and the temple is a national key cultural heritage site. At the foot of the mountain is the newly built Qianhua Ancient Village cultural tourism town, with accommodation, vegetarian meals, and performances. A visit takes about 2-3 hours. Scenic area tickets follow the official announcement, and opening hours are roughly 07:30-17:00. Getting there: from Nanjing, take the subway, then a regional train connection with a bus or taxi, which takes about 30 minutes. Driving is more convenient. Note: follow temple rules and do not take photos indiscriminately inside.
Opening hours
Approx. 07:30–17:00
Nearby sights
- Shiyezhou Island
- Chishan Lake National Wetland Park
- Mi Fu Calligraphy Park
- Yanchun Restaurant
- Jinshan Temple (Jiangtian Temple)
- Boxian Park
- Xijindu Ancient Ferry Street
- Zhenjiang Museum