Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SIGHTS
SUMMER PALACE
|HISTORIC SITE
WÀNSHÒU TEMPLE
( Wànshòu Sì; Suzhou Jie; adult ¥20; 9am-4pm Tue-Sun; National Library, or Gongzhufen, then bus 944)
Ringed by a red wall on the southeastern corner of Suzhou Jie (off the Third Ring Rd), the
Ming- dynasty Wànshòu Temple, or Longevity Temple, was originally consecrated for the
storage of Buddhist texts. The temple's name echoes the Summer Palace's Longevity Hill
(Wànshòu Shān); in fact, from Qing times the imperial entourage would put their feet up
here and quaff tea en route to the palace. This temple was one of almost 50 that once lined
the canal route from the western edge of the Imperial City walls (at Xīzhímén) to the Sum-
mer Palace. Now it is pretty much the only one that remains (Wǔtǎ Temple being another
notable survivor). Wànshòu Temple fell into disrepair during the Republic, with the Wàn-
shòu Hall burning down in 1937. Things went from bad to worse, and during the Cultural
Revolution the temple served as an army barracks.
|BUDDHIST TEMPLE
There's an interesting introduction to the history of the temple in the small hall (once the
temple's Drum Tower) immediately to your left as you enter the complex. And as you walk
through the Hall of the Deva Kings, which leads to the second courtyard, notice the illus-
tration on your right that shows all the temples that once lined the canal. The names are in
Chinese only, butfif you can spot the temple you're in as well as neighbouring Yánqìng
Temple ( Yánqìng Si), nearby Dragon King Temple ( Lóngwáng Sì) and the magnificent
Wǔtǎ Temple (marked on the map with its former name, ) all of which still stand, at least in
part.
The highlight of a visit here, though, is to view the prized collection of bronze
Buddhist
statuary
in the Buddhist Art Exhibition of Ming and Qing Dynasties, housed in two small
halls on either side of the second courtyard. The displays guide you through the Buddhist
pantheon with statues of Sakyamuni, Manjusri, Amitabha, Guanyin (in bronze and
déhuà,
or white-glazed porcelain) and exotic tantric pieces. Also look out for the
kapala
bowl
made from a human skull,
dorje
and
purbhas
(Tibetan ritual daggers). Further halls contain
museum exhibitions devoted to Ming and Qing porcelain and jade.
Another highlight is the Buddhist stone and clay
sculptures
housed in the large unnamed
central hall at the back of the second courtyard. There are four magnificent central pieces,
plus a dozen or so
arhats
(Buddhist disciples) lining the flanks. The pavilion at the rear of
the whole complex once housed a 5m-high gold-lacquered brass statue that's now long
