Qiongzhu Temple
The Qiongzhu Temple is a Buddhist temple located on the Yu' an Mountain 12 km. (7.5 mi.) to the northwest of Kunming City, Yunnan Province.
It got its name because of the grand temple and flourish bamboo forest surrounding it.
There are also many painted sculptures in the temple and is regarded as a cultural heritage and a historical site.
The history of the Qiongzhu Temple can be dated back to Tang dynasty, when Yunnan was still a small county called Dali.
It is said that one day there was two brothers in the royal family hunting in the Kunming West Hills.
While they were pursuing one rhinoceros to the deep woods and suddenly it disappeared. Then they saw a group of strange and old monks in a far distance, but when they went nearer, only they found some canes made of Qiongzu (Qiong Bamboo).
When they went to see these canes the next day, to their surprise they found that the qiong Bamboo had become a bamboo forest and they know its the revelation of the God. As a result, they built the Qiongzhu Temple on the Yu'an Mountain in order to honor them.
Whenever you go to Chinese Buddhist temples, you can always find the Arhat Sculptures, but the Arhat Sculptures in the Qiongzhu Temple are known to be of the highest artistic value.
The 500 sculptures are the important attraction in the temple and are regarded as the Bright Pearl of Oriental Sculpture treasury.
When you enter into the Arhat Hall, you are presented with the all the arhats in thousands of posses and expression and everyone of them is of different postures.
The sculptures are regarded as a cultural heritage and art treasures. You can understand the wonder only if you have a look at it in your own eyes.
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Another important attractions of the Qiongzhu Temple are the Yu' an Mountain and the Daxiong Golden Palace. The mountain is featured by its beautiful landscape and the religious atmosphere with several temples built on the mountain.
The Daxiong Golden Palace is a grand architectural building with exquisitely caved pillars and unique architectural style. If you come here, you will also find many inscription caved by the ancient people, which add artistic value for the buildings.
There are also other many other historical relics besides the 500 arhats. When you enter into the gate, you can find two Cryptomeria fortunei from Yuan Dynasty and you can see many books about the Buddhism and historical events.
The entrance fee is only 10 Yuan and we recommend you spend one or two hours staying here and take a bus or a car to get there.
Moreover, if you are hungry, don't forget to have a taste of the local flavors such as the Guoqiao Rice Noddle, Braised Termitomyces and Lunan Milk Cookie etc.. There are numerous places in Kunming for you to taste all kinds of these food to your hearts' content.