Guangxiao Temple

Guangxiao Temple, one of the famous ancient architectural complexes in Guangdong, is located at the north end of Guangxiao Road in Yuexiu District, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, near Jinghui Road. According to the 'Guangxiao Temple Chronicles', it was originally the former residence of Zhao Jiande, the king of Nanyue in the second century BC. During the Three Kingdoms period, Yu Fan of the Wu Kingdom was exiled here and turned the place into a garden, which was known as Yu Garden. After Yu Fan's death, his family converted the residence into a temple. The temple's name was changed several times: initially called Zhizhi Temple, it was named Wuyuan Temple in the fifth year of Long'an during the Eastern Jin Dynasty (401 AD), Qianming Faxing Temple during the Tang Dynasty, Qianheng Temple during the Southern Han Dynasty, Wanshou Chan Temple during the Northern Song Dynasty, Bao'en Guangxiao Temple during the Southern Song Dynasty, and soon after, the character 'Guang' was changed to 'Guang', and it was renamed Guangxiao Temple. The architectural structure of Guangxiao Temple is rigorous, and the halls are majestic and spectacular, especially with many cultural relics and historical sites. For example, the Mahavira Hall built during the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the Washing Bowl Spring excavated by Bodhidharma during the Southern Dynasties, the Burial Hair Pagoda and Stone Sutra Pillar from the Tang Dynasty, the Thousand Buddha Iron Pagoda from the Southern Han Dynasty, the Sixth Ancestor Hall and Reclining Buddha Hall from the Song and Ming Dynasties, as well as steles, Buddha statues, hackberry trees, bodhi trees, etc., are all precious Buddhist relics and artifacts.