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Explore the region
About Guangyou Temple
Its axial arrangement leads from a stone ceremonial arch through successive gates and halls to the main Buddha hall. A large gilded camphor-wood image of Shakyamuni is the central interior focus. Understanding the early-2000s rebuilding helps distinguish the temple's present architecture from the much older surviving pagoda nearby, making the two sites complementary rather than interchangeable heritage stops.
A 1635 renovation stele records that Guangyou Temple was first built in the Han dynasty and rebuilt by the Tang general Yuchi Gong (尉迟恭). In 1145 the mother of the Jin emperor Wanyan Yong (完颜雍) became a nun here, and the court funded a major expansion, granting the temple the name Da Qing'an Chan Temple. Wanyan Yong proclaimed himself emperor at the temple in 1161, and it was renamed Guangyou Temple in the Yuan dynasty, reaching its height in 1571 with close to two hundred halls.
The temple became a Boxer gathering place in 1900 and was burned that September by Tsarist Russian forces. After the 1908 Russo-Japanese War, occupying Japanese troops demolished the remaining buildings, built Baita Park on the site and erected a Japanese shrine there; the shrine was removed after the founding of the People's Republic. The present temple was rebuilt between 2002 and 2004 by the Liaoyang Buddhist community with public donations.
The temple preserves two Yuan-dynasty Buddhist statues, a Medicine Buddha image and a gilt bronze Samantabhadra Bodhisattva statue 1.75 meters tall and weighing 500 kilograms, kept inside the Daxiongbao Hall. The Samantabhadra statue has twice been stolen since being enshrined there, and was returned on both occasions.
What to look for
- The large gilded camphor-wood Shakyamuni image in the main hall.
- The stone ceremonial arch and the sequence of gates and worship halls along the central axis.
Location & getting there
Getting to Guangyou Temple
Go to the Guangyou Temple entrance beside Baita Park in Liaoyang. Check the hall access arrangements independently of the public park around the White Pagoda.
Combine your visit
Suggested order within this visit:
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Stone arch and entrance gates
Follow the temple's ceremonial approach.
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Main Buddha hall
Focus on the wooden image and the reconstructed architectural setting.
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White Pagoda辽阳白塔
Finish outside with the neighbouring historical tower if its park approach is open.
This sequence is an editorial suggestion based on the features described in the sources. Access to individual buildings or areas should be checked locally; no travel time or shared admission is implied.
Find Guangyou Temple
广佑寺 · 辽阳市
The pin marks the area, not the entrance.
More places nearby
Approximate straight-line distances between map pins, not travel distances.
White Pagoda (Liaoyang) 辽阳白塔
Less than 1 km awayLiaoyang's White Pagoda is a solid octagonal brick tower whose thirteen closely spaced eaves rise above Baita Park. Its white surface makes the profile striking at a distance, but the lower carved details deserve a slower look…
View guide →Wang Erlie Memorial Hall 王尔烈纪念馆
1 km awayWang Erlie's memorial occupies a reconstructed version of his Hanlin residence in central Liaoyang. The scholar and calligrapher worked on the Siku Quanshu compilation, but the museum also follows his studies, poetry and return…
View guide →Jade Buddha Palace 玉佛苑
24 km awayAnshan's Jade Buddha Temple, formerly known as Yufuyuan, centres on a monumental carving made from a single large piece of Xiuyan jade. Shakyamuni occupies one side and Guanyin the other, giving visitors a reason to look beyond…
View guide →Sources & visit information
The linked encyclopedia sources support background and place descriptions. Current opening hours, ticket prices, booking rules and transport schedules have not been independently verified for this guide. Confirm them with the venue or operator before travelling.
Visitor information adapted and edited from Wikipedia contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 92040522.
Background paragraphs translated and condensed from Wikipedia contributors, "广佑寺", Chinese Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 92040522.