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Qixia Temple
Qixia Temple (simplified Chinese: 栖霞寺; traditional Chinese: 棲霞寺; pinyin: Qīxiá Sì) is a Buddhist temple located on Qixia Mountain in the suburban Qixia District of Nanjing, Jiangsu, 22 kilometres (14 mi) northeast of downtown Nanjing. It is one of Nanjing's most important Buddhist monasteries. The temple is the cradle of East Asian Mādhyamaka.
Built in AD 489, the 7th year of the Yongming era during the Southern Qi dynasty (479–502), the temple is known for its large collection of Chinese Buddhist visual art and sculptural art in the grounds. These consist of pagodas, murals and artwork that date back to the 10th century.
It has had several names over the centuries, including the "Gongde Temple" (功德寺; Tang dynasty), "Miaoyin Temple" (妙音寺; Southern Tang dynasty), "Puyun Temple" (普云寺; Song dynasty), "Yanyin Chongbao Chan Temple" (严因崇报禅院; Song dynasty), "Jingde Qixia Temple" (景德栖霞寺; Song dynasty) and "Huxue Temple" (虎穴寺; Song dynasty).
In 1372, at the dawn of Ming dynasty (1368–1644), the temple was renamed "Qixia Temple" which is still in use now.
In the late Qing dynasty (1644–1911), Qixia Temple was completely destroyed by the Taiping Rebellion.
The modern restoration of the entire temple complex was carried out in 1919, after the establishment of the Republic of China.
In December 1937, when Japanese forces invaded Nanjing, Ji Ran, with the assistance of monks Da Ben and Zhi Kai, opened the temple gates to civilians and soldiers seeking refuge, including Nationalist officer Liao Yaoxiang, whom he concealed in the sutra repository for several days before facilitating his escape through foreign-supported networks. Despite limited resources, Ji Ran allocated 1 million jin (600 metric tons) of temple grain, limiting monks' meals to a single bowl of porridge daily to support refugees. He chronicled the crimes committed by Japanese invaders in petitions, particularly the Appeal to All Humanity (on January 25, 1938), which enumerated mass executions, sexual abuse, and the confiscation of agricultural cattle, subsequently forwarded to John Rabe and preserved in the Rabe Diaries. During the Nanjing Massacre, the temple was a temporary refuge of four months for more than 24,000 civilians fleeing the massacre. The incident was reenacted into a movie Qixia Temple 1937, which helped in boosting visitorship to the temple.
Near the temple site and situated on the slopes of Qixia Hill, is the "Thousand Buddha Caves", a grotto containing many Buddhist sculptural works of art.
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Qixia Temple
Qixia Temple (simplified Chinese: 栖霞寺; traditional Chinese: 棲霞寺; pinyin: Qīxiá Sì) is a Buddhist temple located on Qixia Mountain in the suburban Qixia District of Nanjing, Jiangsu, 22 kilometres (14 mi) northeast of downtown Nanjing. It is one of Nanjing's most important Buddhist monasteries. The temple is the cradle of East Asian Mādhyamaka.
Built in AD 489, the 7th year of the Yongming era during the Southern Qi dynasty (479–502), the temple is known for its large collection of Chinese Buddhist visual art and sculptural art in the grounds. These consist of pagodas, murals and artwork that date back to the 10th century.
It has had several names over the centuries, including the "Gongde Temple" (功德寺; Tang dynasty), "Miaoyin Temple" (妙音寺; Southern Tang dynasty), "Puyun Temple" (普云寺; Song dynasty), "Yanyin Chongbao Chan Temple" (严因崇报禅院; Song dynasty), "Jingde Qixia Temple" (景德栖霞寺; Song dynasty) and "Huxue Temple" (虎穴寺; Song dynasty).
In 1372, at the dawn of Ming dynasty (1368–1644), the temple was renamed "Qixia Temple" which is still in use now.
In the late Qing dynasty (1644–1911), Qixia Temple was completely destroyed by the Taiping Rebellion.
The modern restoration of the entire temple complex was carried out in 1919, after the establishment of the Republic of China.
In December 1937, when Japanese forces invaded Nanjing, Ji Ran, with the assistance of monks Da Ben and Zhi Kai, opened the temple gates to civilians and soldiers seeking refuge, including Nationalist officer Liao Yaoxiang, whom he concealed in the sutra repository for several days before facilitating his escape through foreign-supported networks. Despite limited resources, Ji Ran allocated 1 million jin (600 metric tons) of temple grain, limiting monks' meals to a single bowl of porridge daily to support refugees. He chronicled the crimes committed by Japanese invaders in petitions, particularly the Appeal to All Humanity (on January 25, 1938), which enumerated mass executions, sexual abuse, and the confiscation of agricultural cattle, subsequently forwarded to John Rabe and preserved in the Rabe Diaries. During the Nanjing Massacre, the temple was a temporary refuge of four months for more than 24,000 civilians fleeing the massacre. The incident was reenacted into a movie Qixia Temple 1937, which helped in boosting visitorship to the temple.
Near the temple site and situated on the slopes of Qixia Hill, is the "Thousand Buddha Caves", a grotto containing many Buddhist sculptural works of art.