Dinghui Temple (dìng huì sì 定慧寺) is located at the south slope of Jiaoshan Hill (jiāo shān 焦山) in Zhenjiang City (zhèn jiāng shì 镇江市), Jiangsu Province (jiāng sū shěng 江苏省). The temple was erected in Eastern Han Dynasty (dōng hàn 东汉), with a history of more than 1800 years. It was originally called Puji Temple (pǔ jì sì 普济寺), and was renamed to Jiaoshan Temple (jiāo shān sì 焦山寺) in the Yuan Dynasty (yuán cháo 元朝). Then in the Qing Dynasty (qīng cháo 清朝), the Emperor Kangxi (kāng xī dì 康熙帝) granted the name of Dinghui Temple.

In the Ming Dynasty (míng cháo 明朝), the temple reached its golden age. During that period, there are 98 halls and palaces, 3000 monks within the temple, and 18 additional temples nearby. It is in eminent position among Buddhist temples in ancient China.

The gate of Dinghui Temple faces south, opposite to the Xiangshan Mountain (xiàng shān 象山). Standing in front of the gate, tourists will see the scene “the river flows eastward, and the mountain comes from west”. There is a pair of stone lion sitting at the both sides of the gate. On top of the gate, there hanging the inscribed tablet, on which there written “焦山定慧寺"(jiāo shān dìng huì sì).

Entering the gate, going through the Hall of Heavenly King (tiān wáng diàn 天王殿), there is the main architecture of the Dinghui Temple, namely the Great Buddha’s Hall (dà xióng bǎo diàn 大雄宝殿). It is with the style of Ming Dynasty. On the ceiling, there are carved dragon and painted phoenix, delicate and magnificent, which is rarely seen home and abroad. In the hall, there enshrined the Statues of Sakyamuni (shì jiā móu ní 释迦牟尼), Akshobhya (yào shī fó 药师佛) and Amitabha (ē mí tuó fó 阿弥陀佛), with 18 arhats on both sides. All of these figures are diverse and vivid in expressions and gestures. Two ancient ginkgo trees with 500 years old are standing in front of the hall, lofty and heavy with fruit.

To the east of the temple there is the Guanlan Pavilion (guān lán gé 观澜阁), which is with 2 stories. It was once the residence for Emperor Qianlong (qián lóng dì 乾隆帝) when he paid visit to the south region of the Yangtze River. To the southwest of Dinghui Temple is Huayan Pavilion (huá yán gé 华严阁), which is also 2 stories high. It is the best place for one to appreciate the moon. Tourists can enjoy the scenery of the Yangtze River after stepping up the pavilion.

Dinghui Temple
Location: Dongwu Road (dōng wú lù 东吴路), Zhenjiang City
Admission fee: RMB 15
Opening hours: 7:15 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Transportation: you can take bus No. 7, 11, 104 to get off at Xiangshan Mountain, and then take a boat to get to Dinghui Temple, or you can take bus No. 4 from the railway station to get there directly