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Longxing Monastery Wikipedia

The Longxing Monastery (zh-cp |c=隆興寺 |p=Longxing Si) is an ancient Buddhism|Buddhist monastery located near the town of Zhengding in Hebei Province of China|Province, China, approximately 15 kilometers north of the provincial capital of Shijiazhuang. It has been referred to as the "First Temple south of Beijing".

The monastery was first built in 568|586 AD, during the Sui Dynasty. Some of the oldest stelas still standing on the monastery grounds date back to this period.

Image:Longxingsi400x300.jpg|frame|right|Longxing Monastery, photographed from the balcony of the Main Hall.

Following a common pattern, the monastery complex features a central axis along which a sequence of buildings and focal points is arranged. The first building is the Hall of the Four Heavenly Kings|Heavenly Kings. At the opposite end of the axis is the Main Hall (Da Bei Ge), a 33-meters-high wooden structure, which houses a bronze statue of Kuan Yin|Guan Yin. This bronze was built during the early years of the Song Dynasty, its height exceeds 20 meters. Inside the hall, a staircase leads around the statue which allows it to be seen from top to bottom.

Other notable artworks of the monastery are a colorful wooden carving of Guanyin sitting in a grotto and statues of Buddha sitting on a Nelumbo nucifera|lotus throne.

A unique piece of wood architecture from the Song Dynasty in the Longxing Monastery is the Pavilion of the Rotating Library, which was restored in the 20th century. The pavilion houses a rotating bookshelf which was formerly used to store holy texts.

The Longxing Monastery is today open to the public as a museum.

Category:Monasteries
Category:Hebei
Category:Buildings and structures in China

Last Modified:   2005-11-04