Tiantong Temple

Tiantong Si (Tiantong Temple) at the foot of Taibai Mountain in Yinxian County, Zhejiang, and 30 km from Ningbo, owes its birth to a thatched hermitage built on the mountain by a monk named Yixing in 300, or the first year of the Yongkang reign of the Western Jin Dynasty. The hut became the site of a temple that came under construction in 732, or the 20th year of the Kaiyuan reign of the Tang Dynasty. Twenty-five years later, a monk chose a new site and built the Tiantong Temple as we see it today. In 759, or the second year of the Qianyuan reign of the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Xiaozong renamed it the "Tiantong Linglong Temple," which was then replaced by "Tianshou Temple" by Emperor Yizong in 869 (10th year of the Xiantong reign, Tang Dynasty). In 1007 (fourth year of the Jingde reign, Northern Song Dynasty) it received yet another name, "Jingde Monastery." It was not until 1392 (20th year of the Hongwu reign, Ming Dynasty) that it was officially given the name it has today. The buildings of the temple were the result of reconstruction done during the Qing Dynasty.

In 1979, the temple underwent large-scale repairs, and emerged as a major Buddhist temple in southeast China. The time-honored history of the Tiantong Temple is testified to by its impressive trove of cultural artifacts. The vicinity of the temple is marked for its scenic beauty.