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Places Of Worship In Chongqing

Chongqing, a famous historical and cultural city in China, has a history of more than 3,000 years and a glorious revolutionary tradition. The local culture was originated in the area centered at Chongqing, the place of the ancient Ba.
 
Human activities can be dated back to the end of the Old Stone Age about 20,000 to 30,000 years ago. In the 11th century B.C. when the Zhou dynasty replaced the Shang dynasty, the Ba people established the State of Ba with present-day Chongqing as its capital. Later the State of Qin, after conquering the State of Ba, divided China into 36 prefectures, and Ba Prefecture, the previous the State of Ba, was one of them. At its peak time, the State of Ba covered a large area, including present-day easternSichuan province, southern Shaanxi province, western Hubei province, northwestern Hunan province, and northern Guizhou province, with its administrative center at the pre-1997 Chongqing. During most of the time from the Qin and Han dynasties, this area remained one unified administrative area, with its administrative center at the pre-1997 Chongqing.
 
Chongqing was known as Jiangzhou in ancient times, and later was called Ba Prefecture, Chu Prefecture, Yu Prefecture, and Gong prefecture at different times. During the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420-589), Ba Prefecture was named Chu Prefecture, and it was renamed Yu Prefecture in 581 A.D. by Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty (541-604), and since then the area of Chongqing was known as Yu for short. In 1189, before he was enthroned, Emperor Guangzong of the Song Dynasty (1147- 1200) was named Prince Gong. Considering the events a "double happiness" that happened in the same year while he was the ruler of the place, he promoted Gong Prefecture into Chongqing Fu. That is how the city got its present name Chongqing more than 800 years ago.
 
Church (Catholic & Christian) in Chongqing
 
St Joseph's Church
As the oldest church in Chongqing, the St Joseph's Church was built in 1893. Among the dense high and low buildings in Yuzhong District, this Gothic architecture lies quietly.
 
Address: No. 1, St Joseph's Church Lane, Minsheng Road, Yuzhong District
 
Traffic: Take a bus that stops by Qixinggang such as bus No. 401, No. 413 and No. 418 to get to the St Joseph's Catholic Church. 
 
Church of the Saviour
In 1939, the Japanese army bombed Chongqing, causing people to go to Huangjueya for air raid shelter. Among them, a number of Catholics very much yearned for going to a church to worship God on Sunday, but most churches in the central area of the city were bombed out. Just at that time, Jia Yuming, dean of the Chinese Institute of Christian Spirituality set up the "Nanshan Christian Union" and discussed donations for building a church later. In 1944, the Church of the Saviour was born.
 
Address: No. 30, Wenfeng Section, Huangjueya, Nan'an District
 
Tongguanyi Catholic Church
Built in 1898, Tongguanyi Catholic Church, rebuilt in 1924, is a construction combining the Chinese and western styles.
 
Address: Doushita Village, Tongguanyi Town, Jiulongpo District, Chongqing
 
Gospel Church
Gospel Church built by American missionaries in 1894 has a history of over 100 years. In the large-scale demolition in Chongqing's Jiangbeizui, it has been left and obtained its "rebirth". The newly completed Gospel Church integrating classical and modern religious architectural styles lies in the beautiful Jiangbeizui Central Park.
 
Address: Chongqing Jiangbeizui Central Park
 
Holy Love Church
The church that looks very modern actually has existed for over 100 years. It was built in 1900 and then went through destruction, demolition, and reconstruction. Now, it is a relatively influential Catholic church in Chongqing.
 
Address: No. 55, Minquan Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing
 
Buddhist Temples in Chongqing
 
Luohan Temple
This Buddhist temple was built 1000 years ago during the Song Dynasty, remodeled in 1752, and rebuilt in 1945 after the Second World War. The name of this popular place for worship and penance, “Luohan”, is the Chinese equivalent of the Sanskrit word “arhat”, meaning a holy man who has left behind all earthly desires and concerns and attained nirvana. The facility serves simultaneously as a cloister for a small community of monks, and as the headquarters of the Buddhist Society of Chongqing.
 
The main attraction, however, is the 500 clay figures of arhats, or Buddhist holy men, which appear in the Arhat Temple. An arhat has rid himself of all temptations, knows no greed or hatred, and is omniscient and patient. The Arhat Temple has strict rules regarding photography, which one should obviously respect.
 
Chongqing Arhat Temple
Chongqing Arhat Temple, an ancient Buddhist temple and monastery, is situated in the busiest downtown area of Chongqing. The temple began to be built in 1064 and finished in 1067 when Emperor Zhiping of North Song Dynasty control the China. In 1885, it was reconstructed by Monk Longfa in Qing Dynasty. Though the temple does not exist any more we can trace its former existence from the present name. Later, it was rebuilt in 1752 and again in 1945. The present clay arhats were molded in the spring of 1986. More recently, the construction work of the Depository of Buddhist Texts and the Meditation Room has been completed, and the carving and molding are underway. 
 
Huayan Temple
Huayan Temple lies at the foot of Dalaoshan (Big and Old Mountain) in the west of Chongqing. The temple was built around a cave in the mountain cliff. Water from the mountain stream splashes all year round just like scattering flowers--the image is rooted in the ancient Chinese word for flower, which is hua--and thus the temple is named Huayan Temple. The temple area is composed of three parts: the Huayan Cave, the Reception Hall, and the imposing Sakyamuni Hall. This is a solemn area, appropriately; even the Buddhist figures are stately and respectful.
 
The origins of the temple are lost in mystery. Extant historical records indicate the beginnings of religious activities in 1599 during the Ming Dynasty. These activities increased during the Qing Dynasty when many considerably prestigious monks from around the country gathered here to practice Buddhist rituals and gradually formed a religious community. Master Shengke became the first abbot of this community at Huayan Temple. 
 
Taoist (Daoist) Temples in Chongqing
 
Lao Jun Dong Temple 
Lao Jun Dong Temple is a large Taoist Temple built on the side of the mountain in the Nan Shan Scenic Area. Originally a Buddhist Temple it changed to a Taoist Temple in 1851. Climbing up to the Temple is long and steep, but worth it. The theatres once again are active with daily performances of the famous and mysterious Face Changing Sichuan Opera.
 
The sanctuary on top of the mountain, commonly referred to as Laojun miao (Temple of Lord Lao) or Laozi miao (Temple of Laozi), currently serves as residence for a community of Daoist clerics and lay adherents. The monks and nuns belong to the Longmen (Dragon Gate) branch of the Quanzhen (Complete Perfection) order. The Longmen lineage spread rapidly across the area of Sichuan during the Kangxi reign (1662-1722) of the Qing dynasty, and the majority of Daoist temples in this region came under the management of Longmen masters. 6 Written sources do not exist, but it is very likely that the sanctuary on Mt. Laojun also became a part of the Longmen domain at that time. Very little is known about the history of the temple. Summarizing the bits of information contained in the temple bell inscription dated 1796, historical treatises on geography, and local gazetteers, we learn that temple buildings were erected on the mountain starting in the Han (206 BCE–220 CE) and Tang (618-907) dynasties.In 1644, the temple Laojun miao was devastated and burned to the ground by the rebel Zhang Xianzhong (1606-1647), who set up a short-lived regime in Chengdu. The sanctuary finally underwent reconstruction in the last decade of the 18 th century. 7 In the late Qing dynasty and Republican times (1912-1949), the sanctuary on Mt. Laojun was closely connected with a popular religious movement called the Teachings of the Liu School (Liumen jiao), which was based on the teachings of the Confucian scholar Liu Yuan (style: Zhitang; a.k.a. Neru, Qingyang, Huaixuan; 1768-1856). In 1799, 1821, and 1835, various temple buildings on Mt. Laojun were rebuilt or restored under the auspices of Liu Yuan. It is not known whether or not the temple Laojun miao functioned as a Quanzhen monastery in those days. However, beginning in the 1920s, Laojun miao was managed solely by the Liumen community. After the founding of the People's Republic of China (1949), the Liumen movement was outlawed as a "reactionary secret society," and Mt. Laojun was consequently deprived of its former protectors.After the turmoil of the "Cultural Revolution" (1966-1976), the temple was finally reopened as a religious institution in 1986.
 
Mosques (Masjid) in Chongqing
 
Chongqing Chongqing Mosque 
The Chongqing Mosque covers a area of 4500 square meters. It was established in the ruling period of Wanli, Ming Dynasty(1368-1644). The temple used to be made up by three temples, namely, West Temple, South Temple, and North Temple.
 
The roof of the Mosque is the Arabic style and a green circle fort standing in it. At the top of the roof, there marks the sign of Star and Moon. The main hall is sustained by four big pillars. Inside the hall, the walls are painted with silver, and the color is harmony, which assumes a solemn atmosphere. The Mosque conserves Islam hadith and imam preside over religious activities in the temple. Every Ramadan holiday, church members gather to do some prayers. Every Friday is the "Prayers" day. At the "Prayers"day, apart from the the local muslims, the foreign muslins who come from 12 countries and live in Chongqing take part in the religious activities. The Temple has its own hostel and halal restaurants. The city Islamic Association is located in the Masque.
 
Address: No.5, Zhongxing Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing 
 
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