Miyin Temple, Buddhist temple in Weishan Township, Ningxiang, China

Miyin Temple covers about 9,000 square metres in Weishan Township and includes a mountain gate, bell and drum towers, the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall, halls for Wenshu and Puxian, a meditation hall and a 99.19-metre gilded Guanyin statue added in 2009. The Ten Thousand Buddha Hall has 12,182 gilded brick Buddhas set into its walls, and its plaque was written by Chiang Kai-shek in 1945.

Weishan Lingyou founded the temple in 807 as Yingchan Temple, and it was renamed Miyin in 849 under Emperor Xuanzong. Fires in 1104, 1370, 1619 and 1918 led to rebuildings, including the 1933 restoration. In 1655 Huishan Chaohai rebuilt it and converted it to the Rinzai school.

The temple functions as a living center for Buddhist practice, where daily ceremonies follow traditional Chinese customs that visitors can observe. The space feels active and used by the monastic community rather than preserved as a museum.

Miyin Temple stands in Weishan Township, Ningxiang County, Hunan. The site covers over 9,000 square metres and holds the Mountain Gate, Bell and Drum Towers, the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall, and other halls. Allow time to walk the grounds and the 619-step stairway to the 99.19-metre Guanyin statue.

The temple's name comes from ancient Indian esoteric Buddhism: reciting mantras (speech), forming hand gestures (body) and meditating (mind) together bring enlightenment. Emperor Xuanzong granted the Miyin Chan Temple plaque in 849. Pei Xiu's son Pei Wende, ordained here as Fahai, is the model for the monk in the Legend of the White Snake.