Home>Travel Guide>Chengdu>Chengdu Attractions

Wenshu Monastery

Wenshu Monastery or Wenshu Temple is located in Qingyang District of Chengdu City. Its predecessor was Miaoyuan Pagoda Temple in Tang Dynasty. It was renamed as "Xinxiang Temple" in Song Dynasty and was destroyed by wars. Legend has it that in the Qing Dynasty the locals saw red light appeared in a certain area at night. The officials sent people to explore the site and saw the statue of Manjusri Bodhisattva in red light. In 1697, they raised funds to rebuild the temple and renamed it Manjusri Monastery.

Wenshu Monastery faces the south with a construction area of 11,600 square meters.  The Heavenly Kings Temple, the Three Great Hall of Scholars, the Great Hall of Heroes, the Saying Dharma Hall and the Sutra Collection Building are solemn, simple and spacious. They are all typical Qing Dynasty style architectures. The two sides are equipped with different halls and service room connected with galleries, forming a closed quadrangle. There is a bell tower in the temple, where a large bronze bell of over 4500 kilograms is hanging. Visitors can also taste Sichuan-specific Gaiwancha (a kind of tea) in the teahouse of Wenshu Monastery. Visitors could learn special rituals and gestures to have the tea while listening to folk artists playing and singing.

Wenshu Monastery has a large collection of cultural relics and numerous treasures.  More than 300 Buddha statues in different sizes are enshrined in the temple. They are made of iron and steel, stripped of yarn, carved with wood, stone and clay. From the perspective of age, the unearthed stone carvings belong to the Liang Dynasty; iron casting ring deities the Tang and Song Dynasties; bronze casting images the Qing Dynasty. These statues have high cultural and artistic values which provide precious information to study sculpture and casting techniques in the past.

Question s & Answers

Ask a question
  • Your question:
  • Your name:
  • Email:
Chengdu Top Tours
Quick Inquiry
  • Full Name:
  • Email:
  • Tell us your idea: