Yanfu Temple, Buddhist temple in Wuyi County, China.
Yanfu Temple is a Buddhist temple in Wuyi County with multiple buildings arranged along a central axis, including the Shanmen gate, Hall of Four Heavenly Kings, and Mahavira Hall. The complex follows the classical layout of a Chinese temple, with structures positioned in sequence to guide visitors along a defined pathway.
Founded in 937 as Futian Temple, it was renamed Yanfu by Emperor Guangzong of the Southern Song. The monk Dehuan rebuilt it in 1317, and the Mahavira Hall was altered in the Ming Zhengtong era. In 1933 Liang Sicheng and Lin Huiyin surveyed the hall; after 1949 the site served as a pigsty, and a full restoration ran from late 2014 to December 2016.
The Mahavira Hall displays Ming dynasty paintings and calligraphy on its inner walls, showing traditional forms of Buddhist artistic expression that developed in China. Visitors walking through can observe how these artworks were once part of daily spiritual practice in the temple.
The temple sits in a mountain hollow facing south, with a square pond in front of the Mahavira Hall and the peak called Fanzengtan rising opposite. The whole complex was restored from late 2014 to December 2016. The east side hall serves as a stele room holding Yuan and Ming steles, a Southern Song iron bell of 1254 and a Tang bronze bell of 777.
The Mahavira Hall, rebuilt in 1317, represents the earliest surviving architectural example from the Yuan dynasty in the Jiangnan region of China. This rare structure from that era provides insight into the building styles and craftsmanship techniques of a distant time.
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