Qiongzhu Temple

» Kunming, Yun Nan

Qiongzhu Temple Overview & Map Weather Transportation Information

Qiongzhu Temple (Bamboo Temple), a Tang Dynasty temple, is located in Yu'an Mountains in the Northwest of Kunming, about 7 kilometers away from the center of the city .It is arguably the most famous temple in Kunming.

Hot it got its name

There is an interesting story about the name of the temple. It is said that in the Tang Dynasty two brothers were hunting at the edge of Lake Dianchi. Suddenly, they found a rhinoceros .The two brothers began to chase the animal, running after it towards Yu'an Mountains. To their surprise, the rhinoceros vanished into the woods. They searched for the animals carefully. But they couldn't found it.

However, they found a few strange-looking monks sitting on the ground. As soon as the two brothers came up to these monks, there was nothing but bamboo there. They felt very curious and tried to pull the bamboo out. But that failed. The next day, the two brothers went along and found that there was bamboo everywhere. So they look that as a very important sign from Buddha. Later, they decided to set up a temple there. Hence it got the name, Qiongzhu Temple. Obviously, it is nothing more than a legend.

Several times rebuilt

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

What to see

The temple's most outstanding artistic (and perhaps spiritual) feature is the distinguished, finely crafted statues of the 500 Luohans (Buddhist Arhats, or 'enlightened ones') sculpted by the brilliant artist, Li Guangxiu.

Something must see

Antiques and couplets

Many antiques are on display in the temple. From the famous poet monk, Dandang of the late Ming Dynasty, to the patriot general, Li Genyuan of this century, numerous people have left their antithetical couplets here. These inscriptions date back to the 1200's and give us glimpses into the life and culture of those times.

Sculptures of 500 Luohans

But what make this temple famous are the colorful clay sculptures of the 500 Buddhist arhats. The Arhats of the Qiongzhu Temple were made over a period of seven years. They are extremely realistic and lifelike, even if some of the statues are a bit surreal. Arhats are famous monks and "saints" of Chinese Buddhism, usually displayed in large groups of 500 or more.

They were created in the Qing Dynasty, during Emperor Guangxu's time (1875 - 1909), when the temple was undergoing major repairs. Li Guangxiu, a famous folk clay artist from Sichuan Province, took his students to Kunming where they spent seven year (1883 - 1890) preparing the sculptures. The arhats stand beside the central Buddha in six rows, with three levels in each row. Each arhat is about one meter tall. Each of the 500 arhats has a different expression and gesture. This is in complete contrast to the usual fixed style of Buddhist sculptures.

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.

Something suggest to see

Other notable features of the Qiongzhu Temple include: the statues of Four Guardian Kings in the entrance hall; the three large statues of Buddha in the main temple building and two majestic 450-year-old cypress trees that stand in the forecourt.

Walking around the grounds and through the bamboo forest, the world and its problems fade away and the gentle beauty of life re-emerges.

Something around to see

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.

When to visit

• Recommended time for a visit: 40 minutes
  
• Opening Hours: 8:30a.m. - 6:00p.m.

Attractions around » Kunming, Yun Nan

Natural Scene

• Stone Forest
• Lake Dianchi
• Black Dragon Pool

Historical Site

• Golden Temple
• Yuantong Temple
• Qiongzhu Temple

Cultural Site

• West Hill
• Village of Ethnic Culture
• Grand View Tower
• Green Lake Park

Nightlife

• Kundu Bar Street

Day Entertainment & Sports

• Lake View Golf Club
• Spring City Lake Resort

Shopping & Leisure

• Kundu Bar Street

Qiongzhu Temple Highlights

Temple & Monastery in Great China

• Shaolin Temple
• Temple of Heaven
• Jokhang Temple
• Confucius Temple
• A-Ma Temple
• Palkhor Monastery
• Sera Temple
• Drepung Temple
• Rongbuk Temple
• Songzanlin Temple
• Id Kah Mosque
• Lingyin Temple
• Labrang Temple
• Great Buddha at Lingshan
• Golden Temple
• Yuantong Temple
• Tashilhunpo Temple
• Sakya Temple
• Temple of Universal Peace
• Putuo Zongcheng Temple
• Eight Outer Temples
• Famen Temple
• Great Mosque
• Nanputuo Temple
• Jade Buddha Temple
• Town God Temple
• Confucius Temple
• Lama Temple
• White Cloud Temple
• Tar Temple
• Santa Sophia Church
• 108 Dagobas
• Memorial Temple of Lord Bao
• White Horse Temple
• Qiongzhu Temple
• Hanging Temple
• Hanshan Temple
• Gaomiao Temple at Zhongwei
• Giant Buddha Temple
• Xiangguo Temple
• Yufeng Lamastery
• Chongshansi Temple
• Dule Temple
• Anyuan Temple
• White Horse Pagoda
• Trandruk Temple
• Dai Temple
• Pagoda of Songyue Temple
• Ramoche Temple
• Guanlin Temple
• Huayan Temple
• Kaiyuan Temple
• Samye Temple
• Jinci Temple
• Confucius Temple
• Ganden Temple
• Dabeiyuan Temple
• Wuhou Memorial Temple
• Shanhua Temple
• Ruins of St. Paul's
• Temple of Universal Happiness
• Great Bell Temple
• Qingjing Mosque
• Hongfu Temple
• Dazhao Temple
• Five Pagoda Temple
• Baoguo Temple
• Wudangzhao Temple
• Shalu Temple
• Bailin Temple, Great Zen Buddhist Center
• Longhua Temple
• Jile Temple
• Chengtiansi Pagoda
• Nanguan Muslim Mosque
• Qingyanggong Temple
• Ba Xian An Temple
• Tianhou Palace
• Guiyuan Temple
• Linggu Temple
• Najiahu Mosque at Yongning
• Haibao Pagoda
• Xilitu Zhao
• Dongguan Mosque
• Jiegu Temple

Qiongzhu Temple FAQ & Travelers's Tips

  Weather

1. Is Kunming's weather like Spring all year round?

  Transportation

1. Noitce this when you take a bus
2. Noitce this if you plan to rent a car

  Shopping

1. Avoid buying fake goods
2. If you have bought some ivory or ivory handicrafts...

  Travel

1. Is it safe to travel in Kunming?

  Other Hints

1. Tips for you to have a pleasant tour in Kunming
2. Is it easy for me to make a call?
3. Toilet Facilities
4. Keep healthy
5. Emergency
6. Useful Numbers

• Is Kunming's weather like Spring all year round?

  Kunming belongs to the subtropical plateau monsoon climatic zone; the annual average temperature is 14.7 and the yearly precipitation is 1,024 mm. It has the best climate of all Chinese cities, popularly known as the "Spring City". Kunming does not have severe winters or hot summers and the natural features of the four seasons are clearly defined. For the visitor, this means that Kunming is in bloom all year and a year round destination.

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• Noitce this when you take a bus

  Stand close to the door to get off at the next stop, otherwise, the bus driver does not stop.

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• Noitce this if you plan to rent a car

  Foreigners must have a Chinese driver's license. We suggest tourists rent a car with a local driver to avoid going crooked road.

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• Avoid buying fake goods

  Fake goods are prevalent on the streets of Kunming and while they might seem like tempting purchases, beware that you could be faced with their being impounded and charges brought against you when attempting to bring them back into your home country.So, please try to avoid buying goods from peddlers on streets. Instead, please choose large stores as your shooping places.

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• If you have bought some ivory or ivory handicrafts...

  As a rule, ivory and ivory articles are forbidden to be taken out of China. In China, bring out ivory articles or ivory carving needs strict checkup. The testimonial issued by relative governmental department is required.

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• Is it safe to travel in Kunming?

  The city of Kunming is a safe place to be with low levels of crime and few obvious threats to visitors. Like any big city however, it has its rogue element so the usual caveats with regards to pickpockets and bag snatchers apply. Keep money, wallets, purses and personal items of value well hidden and in hard to reach places. Avoid frequenting run-down or sparsely populated areas especially at night and be particularly conscientious with regards to personal safety if you are a lone female traveller.

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• Tips for you to have a pleasant tour in Kunming

  You should also wear sunglasses to shad their eyes from ultraviolet ray.

  When the lack of oxygen at high altitude occurs, it is necessary to take good rest or receive treatment by sucking oxygen.

  The southwest is an area where the minority nationalities live in compact communities and their culture, customs and habits vary from place to place. Attention should be paid to the following situation.

  • The Dai nationality resent outsiders entering their stockade village on horse back;
  • in the Jingpo village, the place where the Jingpo (Chingpaw) nationality hang the ox head cannot be touched;
  • when seeing logs placed at the door of the va (wa) nationality, one must avoid putting on short pants, must not step on the threshold, not to spit in the presence of other People and what is more, one must not hurt animals and birds at random.



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• Is it easy for me to make a call?

  While public phones are easily found in small shops along streets in Kunming, we suggest tourists make low-cost IDD or DDD calls in post offices or telecom buildings.

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• Toilet Facilities

  Most toilets in Kunming charge no more than 0.5 yuan. Tourists can find free sanitary toilets in some large department stores or fast food restaurants.

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• Keep healthy

  Be wary of where you choose to eat in Kunming, hygiene standards at street vendors and some restaurants may not meet western standards and you could end up with a whole lot more than just a portion of fried rice if you're not careful.

  Water from the tapsshould be avoided for drinking purposes and for brushing teeth and bottled water, which is cheap, can be found everywhere and should be used instead.

  Health care in Kunming's public hospitals is below what is considered international standard so visitors requiring medical care are advised to make use of the newly-opened Richland International Hospital.

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Emergency Numbers:

• Fire: 119
  
• Ambulance: 120
  
• Police: 110
  
• Traffic: 122
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Useful Numbers:

• Weather forecast of the scenic spots: 16800122
  
• Zip code inquiry: 3139491
  
• Consumption Complaint: 12315
  
• Kunming Tourism Complaint: 3164961
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