Three Days in Wuhan - Part 3: Guiyuan Temple

October 13, 2012. Wuhan. This day began at Guiyuan Temple.

Guiyuan Temple was founded in the fifteenth year of the Shunzhi reign of the Qing dynasty, 1658, and is a key cultural relic protection site in Hubei. It is located on Cuiwei Road in old Hanyang. Although it is technically inside the city, in Hanyang District, transportation was not as convenient as I had imagined. The only bus route I found at the time was Route 401. A more practical approach was to first get to Yellow Crane Tower or the Hanyang end of the Yangtze River Bridge, then transfer from there.

Street near Guiyuan Temple in Hanyang — Arriving near Guiyuan Temple in Hanyang.

Entrance area of Guiyuan Temple — Entering Guiyuan Temple during the Wuhan trip.

The name Guiyuan comes from a Buddhist phrase meaning that there is no second path in returning to the origin, yet there are many skillful means. Looking back while rewriting this post, that line actually feels very suitable for travel: the destination may be the same, but every person enters it from a different angle.

Guiyuan Temple sign or entrance detail — Guiyuan Temple, named from a Buddhist phrase about returning to the origin.

The more professional explanations below were mostly taken from Baidu Baike at the time. When we were actually walking through the temple, I had not done much homework. It was only when I came back and wrote the blog post that I realized how many details there were in each courtyard and hall.

Inside the mountain gate is the central courtyard, with a life-release pond. On the two sides of the pond are the bell tower and drum tower. In the center is the Weituo Hall, and beyond that is the Mahavira Hall.

Central courtyard at Guiyuan Temple — The central courtyard area inside Guiyuan Temple.

Temple hall inside Guiyuan Temple — A temple hall around the life-release pond.

Temple courtyard and hall — Walking through the halls and courtyards of Guiyuan Temple.

Pathway inside Guiyuan Temple — The path deeper into Guiyuan Temple.

There was also a very down-to-earth legend: if you can get a coin to stick to the incense burner, whether by wedging, sticking, pasting, pinning, or somehow attaching it, as long as it does not fall off, your wish will come true.

Coins on an incense burner at Guiyuan Temple — Visitors tried to make coins stick to the incense burner for good luck.

Look how hard these young people were trying. ~.~'"

Passing through the Gate of Non-Duality, we arrived at the southern courtyard.

Gate of Non-Duality at Guiyuan Temple — Passing through the Gate of Non-Duality toward the southern courtyard.

Southern courtyard at Guiyuan Temple — The southern courtyard area around Arhat Hall.

Arhat Hall And Counting Arhats

The main building in the southern courtyard is Arhat Hall, which houses 500 arhat statues made using a traditional sculptural technique. Each one has a different expression and posture, and together they are considered representative works of traditional Chinese Buddhist sculpture.

Arhat Hall at Guiyuan Temple — Arhat Hall houses 500 expressive arhat statues.

Arhat Hall was first built during the Daoguang reign of the Qing dynasty. It was destroyed by war in 1852, rebuilt in 1895, and completed in 1902. A folk saying names four representative arhat halls: Baoguang in Chengdu, Xiyuan in Suzhou, Biyun in Beijing, and Guiyuan in Wuhan.

Arhat statues inside Guiyuan Temple — The arhat statues are arranged in a clever hall layout.

The layout of Guiyuan Temple's Arhat Hall forms the Chinese character for "field." Four small courtyards bring ventilation and light into the deep hall. Although 500 statues are arranged inside, the hall does not feel crowded, which makes the architectural layout feel both clever and practical.

The 500 arhats here were created by a father and son from Huangpi County in Hubei over nine years. Walking into the hall, you can see some sitting cross-legged, some reclining on rocks and looking at the sky, some reading Buddhist scriptures, and some driving away evil. Some look brave, some gentle, some innocent and simple, and some weathered by life.

The fun part of Arhat Hall is "counting arhats." Based on your actual age that year, you enter the hall, start from any arhat you choose, and count until you reach your age. That arhat represents your fortune for the year.

Counting arhats at Guiyuan Temple — Counting arhats is one of the temple's memorable traditions.

How do you find out what that fortune means? You have to go outside and buy the corresponding arhat card.

But I was afraid of casually drawing something bad for no reason, so I just counted for fun and came back out. When traveling, sometimes you also need to know what to take seriously and what to leave at that. XD

Hello everyone, I am Belle...

Child posing at Guiyuan Temple — Belle was here in 2012.

Belle was here in 2012!!

Northern Courtyard And The Sutra Library

We walked back through the central courtyard.

Central courtyard of Guiyuan Temple — Walking back through the central courtyard.

The main buildings in the northern courtyard include the Sutra Library, Dashi Pavilion, Cuiwei Well, and other structures.

Northern courtyard at Guiyuan Temple — The northern courtyard includes the Sutra Library and other buildings.

The Sutra Library was built between 1920 and 1922. It is a two-story pavilion-style building with five bays, about 25 meters tall. Its roof has beast-head ridges, fish-shaped corner ornaments, bracket sets, and flying eaves, while the front includes decorative elements such as full-height columns, twin phoenixes facing the sun, and five dragons playing with a pearl.

Sutra Library at Guiyuan Temple — The Sutra Library is a two-story pavilion-style building.

From doors to windows, the building is painted, carved, and decorated in detail. The information I found at the time said this was the only brick-and-wood ancient building in Wuhan.

Decorated brick-and-wood building at Guiyuan Temple — Decorative details around the Sutra Library.

Northern courtyard building at Guiyuan Temple — Another view around the northern courtyard buildings.

We came to Guiyuan Temple because it was famous, but in reality I had not done much research before visiting. Only when I came back to write the post did I realize there were so many details to look at. ~.~'"