Daming Temple

Daming Temple	Daming Temple

Daming Temple is situated in the northwest of Yangzhou City, Jiangsu Province, and was the place where Jianzhen, an accomplished monk in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), performed Buddhist rites. In 1983, it was designated as one of national key temples in the areas of the Han nationality.
It was built in period of Daming of Liu Song (457-464), so it is called Daming temple. There are also Pailou (decorated archway), Main Hall, Sutra Hall, Ouyang Xiu Hall, etc. in Daming Temple. There stands the Statue of Sakyamuni in the center of the Main Hall, and eighteen arhats sit on both the left and right sides hereof.
Jianzhen Memorial was built in Daming Temple in 1973. The memorial is an imitation of buildings in the Tang Dynasty, and was designed by Liang Sicheng, a famous architectural designer of China. The Statue of Jianzhen is enshrined in the Main Hall of this memorial.
Before the New Year's Day each year, a lot of people come here to burn joss sticks and worship Buddha; also some Japanese tourists come here to ring the bell for the purpose of praying for happiness and safety.