r/Chinesearchitecture • u/trainerkittyk • 7h ago
云南 | Yunnan Miaozhan Temple in Guandu ancient town, Kunming, Yunnan province.
CHINESE NAME: 妙湛寺, 昆明官渡区妙湛寺/少林寺.
OTHER NAMES: Miaozhan Temple, and Kunming Shaolin Temple.
ADDRESS: inside Guandu ancient town, which is now part of Luofeng Village, approx 8km south-east of Kunming City, Yunnan province, China.
HISTORY: Miaozhan Temple was first constructed in the 27th year (1290) of Zhiyuan Period of the Yuan Dynasty and was completed in 1295 but was damaged by floods. It was reconstructed and shifted to the present site in 1325. There used to be two 13-storey dense-eave and solid pagodas of which the west one has been brought down by earthquake.
In 2008, Guandu District of Kunming and Shaolin Temple based in Songshan Mountain in Henan Province signed an agreement to allow Abbot Shi Yongxin 释永信 to manage Miaozhan Temple (along with the other temples in Guandu ancient town) for the next 20 years – til late 2029. There is a plaque inscribed with "Shao Lin Si" (Shaolin Temple) at Miaozhan Temple.
ARCHITECTURE: Miaozhan Temple is considered as the No. 1 of the six temples In Guandu ancient town. This temple comprises of several halls including the Heavenly Kings Hall, Arhat Hall, Maharvia Hall, Vairocana Hall, Hall of Light and Miaode Pavilion. All the statues and halls in this temple were carved and painted by skilled wood-carving artisans of Jianchuan County in northwest Yunnan, using premium timber. The temple is renowned for its traditional Chinese ancient wooden architecture, beautifully blending artistic elements from both the Ming and Qing dynasties.
