The Most Beautiful Temples in Sichuan Province

By far one of the best preserved temples in Chengdu, the Wenshu Monastery is located in the heart of Chengdu and is still home to 80 monks. Initially built during the Southern Dynasty, this temple covers a sprawling area of more than 60,000 square meters (close to 65,000 feet), with five complexes of buildings and gardens and more than 180 different rooms. You’ll also find more than 300 different Buddhas from several different dynasties, along with other precious artifacts, including Buddha scriptures written in gold and a 300-year-old monk robe woven by a royal concubine from the Ming Dynasty. At the very least, the teahouse is a great place to sit and drink tea before visiting the vegetarian restaurant in the back.

Set in the far northern suburb of the city, this beautiful Buddhist temple is made up of a stupa, five halls and sixteen courtyards. On top of that, it is surrounded by ancient trees and verdant greenery. Often, this temple is quite busy, full of tourists drawn to the legend that their wishes will come true after praying at this temple. In fact, in the front square, there’s a big wall inscribed with the character for “Good Fortune.” The long queue of people in front are waiting to walk forward to touch the wall with their eyes closed for a chance at good fortune for the year. The rest of the temple is just as fascinating. Be sure not to miss the precarious leaning pagoda that continues to defy gravity.

No.81 Baoguang Street, Xindu District

Baoguang Temple | © Prince Roy

Nestled near the Chengdu Zoo, Zhaojue is a key Buddhist temple in China and an important place for Buddhist practitioners. With more than 1,000 years of history, this monastery has been host to a number of renowned monks, who went out to establish temples in Japan and Southeast Asia. It was also once the home of Mr. Zhang Daqian, one of the best-known and most prodigious Chinese artists of the twentieth century. Here, he devoted himself to the study of painting and created a great number of famous works. The temple itself features lovely grounds and a welcome respite from the city’s hubbub.

333 Zhaoqing Rd, Chenghua District

Zhaojue Temple – Oil Lamps 2 | © Keirn

This beautiful temple is one of the largest in China and also one of the flashiest. It was originally built during the Zhou Dynasty (1040 BC), and expanded during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) when Taoism was flourishing. Most of the parts of the temple that remain in existence are restorations from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 AD). Interestingly enough, it was one of the 21 Taoist temples allowed to reopen by the government in 1983 during Reform.

You’ll also find nuns and monks training at the Two Immortals Monastery toward the back of the temple. It’s the only monastery in southwest China authorized to certify Taoist training, initiations and the passing of lineage. After wandering the grounds, make sure to see the Eight Trigrams Pavilion, which has a gorgeous dome. Then visit the small teahouse on the left to mingle with the local visitors and worshipers.

9 West 2nd Section, 1st Ring Road, Qingyang District

qingyang palace | © participant

The beautiful Emei Shan (Éméi shān, 峨眉山) is one of the four sacred Buddhist mountains of China, featuring incredible natural scenery and breathtaking vistas. It also houses eight fantastic temples that still hold important Buddhist artifacts. One of the most magnificent is the Wannian Temple (Wàn nián sì, 万年寺), which translates to English as “Ten Thousand Year Temple.” Built during the Jin Dynasty (265-420 AD), it is nationally renowned for housing an amazing Buddha statue. It is still the largest temple in China, weighing more than 62 tons and standing eight meters (26 ft) tall.

Another famous (and lovely) temple is the Baoguo Temple. It offers breathtaking views of waterfalls and is a favorite destination among Buddhist pilgrims.
To get there, take a bus to Leshan town center (the Shiyang bus terminal) from Chengdu – it’s about a two hour ride.

Emeishan, Wannian Temple | © Arian Zwegers