Hongchunping Temple

Hongchunping Temple
洪椿坪
A paifang in front of Hongchunping Temple.
Religion
Affiliation	Buddhism
Sect	Chan Buddhism
Location
Location	Mount Emei, Emeishan City, Sichuan
Country	China
Shown within Sichuan
Geographic coordinates	29°33′29″N 103°23′34″E
Architecture
Style	Chinese architecture
Founder	Chushan Xingyi (楚山性一)
Date established	Ming dynasty
Completed	1790 (reconstruction)

Hongchunping Temple (Chinese: 洪椿坪; pinyin: Hóngchūnpíng) is a Buddhist temple located on Mount Emei, in Emeishan City, Sichuan, China.^[1][2]

Name

The name of Hongchunping is derived from three 1,200-years-old Ailanthus altissima trees.

History

Hongchunping Temple.

Hongchunping Temple.

The temple was first built by master Chushan Xingyi (楚山性一) in the early Ming dynasty (1368–1644) with the name of "Thousand Buddha Chan Temple" (千佛禅院), commonly known as "Thousand Buddha Temple" (千佛庵).^[3] It was largely extended in 1631, in the reign of Chongzhen Emperor (1628–1644) of the late Ming dynasty.^[3]

In 1778, in the 43rd year of Qianlong period (1736–1795) in the Qing dynasty (1644–1911), a catastrophic fire demolished most of its buildings.^[3] Twelve years later, the temple was restored and redecorated by master Eyun (峨云).^[3] The name was changed into "Hongchunping Temple" (Hongchun means Ailanthus altissima) because it had three 1,200-years-old Ailanthus altissima trees.^[3]

In 1936, Chiang Kai-shek visited the temple while he inspected the Officer Training Corps on Mount Emei.^[3][4]

The temple has been designated as a National Key Buddhist Temple in Han Chinese Area by the State Council of China in 1983.

Architecture

Hongchunping Temple covers a building area of 5,000-square-metre (54,000 sq ft), the existing main buildings include the Shanmen, Hall of Four Heavenly Kings, Hall of Guanyin, Mahavira Hall, Meditation Hall, and monk's rooms.

Mahavira Hall

The Mahavira Hall enshrining a statue of Samantabhadra. The statues of Eighteen Arhats sitting on the seats before both sides of the gable walls.

References

1. Wang Guan (19 May 2015). 峨眉山一绝：到“千年禅院”洪椿坪观雨禅定避暑. china.com.cn (in Chinese).
2. 盘点中国佛教四大名山. sina (in Chinese). 16 November 2017.
3. 峨眉洪椿坪：避暑胜地 藏经楼七方千佛莲灯. ifeng.com (in Chinese). 2 July 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
4. 蒋介石游峨眉山洪椿坪 峨眉山猴王为何要给蒋介石揖礼让道？. wenhuaku.cn (in Chinese). 19 June 2016. Archived from the original on 17 May 2018. Retrieved 16 May 2018.