Qiongzhu Temple / Bamboo Temple


Qiongzhu Temple is a famous and important temple in Kunming, which located in Yu'an Mountains in the
Northwest of Kunming, about 7km away from the city center.

During its history, spanning nearly 1,000 years, the Qiongzhu Temple has been burnt to ashes several times
and then reconstructed. The present structure mostly dates from the late Qing Dynasty.

Around the temple are mountains covered with trees everywhere, and at the gate of the temple stand many
very tall cypress trees which were planted in ancient times. The streams and brooks are flowing through the
woods and valley, making a beautiful natural sound. At the back of the temple, a great deal of bamboo is so

green as if there were some dew-drops on its leaves. That is the so-called Qiongzhu - a kind of bamboo.

Entering the temple, the first thing that catches the visitor's notice is the carefully designed courtyard; spread over four layers, one on top of another.
The Main Hall contains a trinity of enormous gilded Buddha statues seated on lotus thrones. In the temple, there are many historic relics, such as
the "Tower Stele in Memory of the Death of the Eloquent Buddhist Master", and the "Imperial Edict Stele" written in both Mongolian and Chinese.

The most impressive features in this temple are the 500 Arhat sculptures, of which 216 are in the
Tiantailai Hall and another 216 ate in Fanyin Hall, and 68 are in the Daxiong Grand Hall. The Arhat
sculptures in the Qiongzhu Temple are well-known for their vivid expressions and artistic characteristics
and are regarded as the gem of Oriental sculpture in this temple and have their photographs on file. With
the religious subjects and use of exaggeration, the ancient artists created lively images. Some of them
are reaching for the moon with extremely long arms, some are crossing the ocean on extra long legs.
There are bare-footed monks and naked-bellied Buddhas. Some are lost in deep thought, some are
telling each other good news. Some are tranquil, some angry, some surprised, some curious. One is
scratching his back, another is poking his ear. Here are most of the expressions of man in this world- a
representation of life as it really is. Hence, the 500 arhats of the Qiongzhu Temple are known as the
"Sculptured pearls in the oriental treasure-house." The temple is renowned throughout the world for these sculptures.