Daxiangguo Temple, Buddhist temple in Gulou District, Kaifeng, China

Daxiangguo Temple is a Buddhist temple complex in Kaifeng. Its Tianwang Dian has three red doors and a golden glazed tile roof, with a seated Mile Fo statue flanked by the Four Heavenly Kings. The Daxiongbao Hall, built in 1661, enshrines Shijiamounifo, Amituofo and Yaoshifo, with the Eighteen Arhats along the east and west walls. The octagonal Luohan Dian has a colored glaze roof and holds 500 arhat statues around a wooden Guanyin.

The site was traditionally the residence of Lord Xinling of the Warring States period. A temple named Jianguo was founded there in 706 under the Tang; in 712 it was renamed Daxiangguo in memory of Emperor Ruizong, who had been King of Xiang. Under the Northern Song it became a royal temple with 64 cloisters and several thousand monks. Destroyed by the Yellow River flood of 1642, it was rebuilt under the Qing.

The temple serves as a working center for Buddhist practice, where visitors can observe monks conducting daily prayers and ceremonies. The spaces are arranged following traditional Chinese Buddhist layout, with each hall dedicated to different aspects of devotion.

Visitors should allow time to walk through the different halls and courtyards at a leisurely pace to appreciate the details. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended since the grounds have uneven paving and several steps between levels.

The temple's bell tower, the first major structure past the main gate, holds a bell about 2.23 metres tall and weighing some 5 tons, cast in 1748. In winter its sound carries across Kaifeng, a sight known as "Xiangguo Frosty Bells", one of the Eight Sights of Bianliang.