South Putuo Temple 南普陀寺

About South Putuo Temple

The temple’s dedication to Guanyin is expressed most clearly in the Great Compassion Hall, while the Heavenly Kings Hall introduces the sequence of worship spaces. Bright Minnan roof decoration adds detail to the buildings’ silhouette. Treat the temple as an active religious place, taking time around the halls before deciding whether the separately accessed hillside paths suit the day.

South Putuo Temple was founded in the late Tang dynasty as Sizhou Temple (泗洲寺). The Northern Song monk Wencui (文翠) rebuilt it as Wujin Yan (无尽岩); it was abandoned in the Yuan dynasty, then rebuilt on its present site in the Ming as Puzhao Temple (普照寺). Abandoned again after warfare in the early Qing, it was restored and expanded in 1684 with funding from Shi Lang (施琅), the Marquis who Pacified the Seas (靖海侯), who added a Great Compassion Hall for Guanyin in imitation of Mount Putuo in Zhejiang, giving the temple its present name. It was damaged during the Cultural Revolution and restored after 1976.

The temple covers more than 30,000 square meters, laid out as three halls and seven courtyard buildings facing south with hills behind and the sea in front, in a Minnan architectural style. Flanking structures include bell and drum towers, an arhat hall, the Taixu Library and classrooms of a Buddhist college. A square fangsheng (release) pond about 30 meters on each side and a lotus pond roughly 100 meters long lie in front of the Heavenly Kings Hall; the lotus pond is enclosed by a glazed-tile-roofed wall with a double-eaved gateway on each side, inscribed with the phrase Ludao Mingshan (鹭岛名山), written by Zhao Puchu (赵朴初), head of the Buddhist Association of China.

What to look for

• The Heavenly Kings Hall’s roof decoration and Buddhist figures.
• The Great Compassion Hall associated with Guanyin worship.

Location & getting there

Getting to South Putuo Temple

Use the temple entrance at No 515 Siming South Road, beside Xiamen University’s Siming campus. Check the temple’s current visitor arrangements independently of any university booking.