Grand China Travel

Home Hangzhou Travel Guide Hangzhou Buddhist Temples

Places Of Worship In Hangzhou

Hangzhou is a city with rich historical heritage and colorful cultures, also one of the seven ancient capitals in China. The Liangzhu Civilization created by our forefathers living here about 5000 years ago was considered the dawn of the Chinese civilization. Originally known as Yu Hang, Hangzhou had former names such as Qian Tang, Lin An and so on.
 
It used to be the capital of China in Wuyue Kingdom and Southern Song Dynasy. Ever since the establishment of Qiantang county in the ninth year of Kaihuang's reign in the Sui Dynasty (around 589 A.D), the name Hangzhou had come into being. The digging of the Grand Canal between Hangzhou and Beijing made the city a hub of communications and started its course for metropolitan development, enjoying prosperity in the process.
 
Now Hangzhou has been the capital of Zhejiang Province since Hangzhou municipal government was established in May 3, 1949. Hangzhou not only has Southern Song royal palace relics, and also has Qing Emperor’s resort and many elegant gardens. Most of the gardens are backed by natural scenery. The gardening style stresses elegance and delicacy, which is an important sect in Chinese gardening art.
 
Hangzhou is endowed with high value historical relics,which are characterized by long time span and rich varieties. The Liangzhu cultural relic, antiques from Five Dynasties Period and Southern Song Dynasty as well as other places of interest all mark Hangzhou as a rich historical hub.
 
 
Church (Catholic & Christian) in Hangzhou
 
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception 
The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception is a Roman Catholic cathedral, located at 415 Zhongshan Road North not far from Wulin Square in downtown Hangzhou, China. Since it is the only Catholic church currently in service within the city of Hangzhou itself, it is also known simply as Tiānzhǔ Táng or "the Catholic church".
 
The current cathedral in Hangzhou, dedicated to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, was originally built in 1661 by the Italian Jesuit Martino Martini, and is still one of the oldest churches in China. Its original Romanesque form was designed with three naves, and two rows of columns separating them. The two side altars venerated statues of St. Peter and St. Paul while the central altar was for the worship of Christ. At the time of its completion it had been lavishly decorated and was said by many to be the most beautiful church in China. Of note were also the large frescoes painted all over the church, that as the Jesuit Charles Le Gobien notes in his "Histoire de l'édit de l'empereur de la Chine", were based on standard Western imagery (the conversion of St. Paul, the conversion of the emperor Constantine, etc.), but were painted by Chinese artists in the Chinese brush style.
 
In 1691, during the reign of the Kangxi Emperor in the Qing Dynasty, the governor of Zhejiang, Zhāng Pénghé banned Catholicism, took control of the cathedral and ordered all books contained within to be burned. The following year, under pressure from the Italian Jesuit Prosper Intorcetta, the emperor lifted the ban and ordered the Hangzhou cathedral to be fully restored. Nevertheless, the church was severely damaged later that same year in a fire and remained unrepaired for many years until 1699, when the Kangxi Emperor himself, who was on a tour of southern China, passed by the church. He ordered one of his ministers to go in and inspect the place, after which he decided to grant the church 200 silver taels to complete the repairs. He also had the two characters "敕建" (chìjiàn, "built by order of the emperor") inscribed upon the church gate.
 
In 1730, the Yongzheng Emperor again forbade the practice of Catholicism, and the church edifice was subsequently converted into a Taoist temple by the name of Tiānhòu Gōng (Temple of the Celestial Empress), but only after the emperor had chiseled his father Kangxi's "敕建" inscription off the gateway. Later, in 1848, it came into the possession of a group of English, Dutch, and French Lazarists, whereupon it resumed operations as a Catholic church.
 
During the Cultural Revolution the cathedral was put to other uses for a period of about 12 years. The main church hall was divided into 10 or more smaller cells for imprisoning criminals. The other church buildings were also divided up as residences. Finally in 1982 the cathedral reopened, and on December 12 of that year, Mass was once again celebrated. By 1986 the all the families that had moved in during the Cultural Revolution were relocated off of the property. The cathedral is now protected as a Municipal Historic Site.
 
Chongyi Church
Chongyi Church is one of the largest Protestant churches in China. The name, translated into English, means "Worship the one and only true God." It was dedicated in 2005 and can accomodate up to 7000 attenders, welcoming many international visitors and guest preachers including Franklin Graham, the son of evangelist Billy Graham. 
 
Buddhist Temples in Hangzhou
 
Lingyin Temple
Lingyin Temple is a Buddhist temple of the Chan sect located north-west of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China. The temple's name is commonly literally translated as Temple of the Soul's Retreat. It is one of the largest and wealthiest Buddhist temples in China, and contains numerous pagodas and Budddhist grottoes.
 
The monastery is the largest of several temples in the Wulin Mountains, which also features a large number of grottos and religious rock carvings, the most famous of which is the Feilai Feng.
According to tradition, the monastery was founded in 328 AD during the Eastern Jin dynasty by an Indian monk, named Huili in Chinese. From its inception, Lingyin was a famous monastery in the Jiangnan region. At its peak under the Wuyue Kingdom (907-978), the temple boasted nine multi-storey buildings, 18 pavilions, 72 halls, more than 1300 dormitory rooms, inhabited by more than 3000 monks. Many of the rich Buddhist carvings in the Feilai Feng grottos and surrounding mountains also date from this era.
 
During the later Southern Song dynasty, the monastery was regarded as one of the ten most important temples of the Chan sect in the Jiangnan region. However, its prominence has not saved the temple from marauders. It has been rebuilt no less than sixteen times since then. The current buildings are modern restorations of late Qing buildings. During the Cultural Revolution, the temple and grounds suffered some damage at the hands of Red Guards. However, they escaped large scale destruction partly because of the protection of Premier Zhou Enlai.
 
Today the temple is thriving as a destination for both pilgrims and tourists. It is regarded as one of the wealthiest monasteries in China, and regular pilgrims have included former paramount leader Deng Xiaoping.
 
Jingci Temple
Off Nanshan Road, built in 954, the Jingci Temple has a huge 10-ton bell inside. Located on Nanping Road, they ring the bell 108 times here to ring in Chinese New Year. It is also rung every evening for much fewer times. Jingci Temple is the site of the legend of the miraculous well, which can be seen on the grounds of the temple. 
 
Three Temples of Tianzhu Hill
Three Temples of Tianzhu Hill, consists of Fajing Temple, Faxi Temple and Fajing Temple.Located on Tianzhu Hill, Three Temples are quite close to Lingyin Temple, another famous Buddhist temple in Hangzhou. Local people usually prefer to go there for praying or meditation instead of Lingyin Temple, because they are quite more tranquil than Lingyin Temple, which is always crowded by tourists
 
Taoist (Daoist) Temples in Hangzhou
 
Baopu Taoist Temple
Baopu Taoist Temple is the only Taoist temple in Hangzhou, even in east China. This Taoist temple is located on the Hill of Ge and on the north side of West Lake Scenic Area. It is a huge architectural complex comprised of different themed halls. Every year, diversity of Taoist festivals is held here, and Baopu Taoist Temple is also the center of Taoists of Hangzhou. 
 
Mosques (Masjid) in Hangzhou
 
The Phoenix Mosque in Hangzhou 
The Phoenix Mosques is one of the three oldest monques in China, the other three being the Huaisheng Mosque in Guangzhou, Ashab Mosque in Quanzhou and Xiahe Mosque in Yangzhou. The original name of the Phoenix Mosque, also known as the Libai Mosque, is the Zhenjiao Mosque. Its present name comes from the former complex of buildings that looked like a phoenix. The mosque is located where Zhongshan Zhonglu and Xihu Dadao cross, and it was first built in the Tang Dynasty (AD 618–626). It was renovated many times during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and then underwent a total renovation in 1953. The current major hall remains from the Yuan Dynasty. This hall covers 2600 square metres and its structure consists of bricks. On the left of the mosque is a corridor that exhibits steles.
 
 
Login to post comments