Hongfu Temple (hóng fú sì 弘福寺) is located in the Qianling Mountain (qián líng shān 黔灵山), 1.5 kilometers northeast of Guiyang City (guì yáng shì 贵阳市), Guizhou Province (guì zhōu shěng 贵州省). It was first constructed during the reign of Emperor Kangxi (kāng xī dì 康熙帝) in the Qing Dynasty (qīng cháo 清朝). It is rated as one of the 142 national key temple scenic areas as well as the key cultural relic preservation in Guizhou Province.

The temple originally covered an area of about 12000 square kilometers, and there are more than 100 monks. At present, there are the Heavenly King’s Hall (tiān wáng diàn 天王殿), Great Buddha’s Hall (dà xióng bǎo diàn 大雄宝殿), Guanyin Hall (guān yīn diàn 观音殿), and the Hall of Maitreya Buddha (mí lè diàn 弥勒殿) for sight-seeing.

Entering the gate of the temple, you will see the Bell Tower (zhōng lóu 钟楼) and the Drum Tower (gǔ lóu 鼓楼) on both sides. The bronze bell in the tower weighs more than 3300 pounds, and was cast in 1469during the Ming Dynasty (míng cháo 明朝). In the first hall named Heavenly King’s Hall, you can see the statues of Maitreya Buddha and the four Heavenly Kings. On the walls there are also steles of sutra and colorful paintings. The second main hall is the Guanyin Hall dedicated to Guanyin with 32 arms. In the third hall named Great Buddha’s Hall there are gilded statues of Sakyamuni and the 18 Arhats. There is also a jade Buddha statue from Rangoon, the capital of Burma. It is 1.5 meters high and weighs 900 kilograms. The stature looks beneficent but solemn, and it stands among more than 10 other jade statues of Guanyin and Maitreya. Besides there superb halls, the temple is also adorned with galleries, pools and springs, which are of high artistic value.

The temples are magnificent and well laid out. Embraced by verdant trees and pervaded by incense smoke and filled with bell ringing, these meticulous layout temples seem mysterious and solemn to the tourists. The exhibitions of photograph, painting and calligraphy add a great deal to its cultural atmosphere.

Hongfu Temple
Location: 1.5 kilometers from the urban area of Guiyang
Admission fee: RMB 2
Opening hours: 6:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Transportation: you can take bus No. 1, 2, 10 to get there directly