Wolong Temple

Dating back to the Han Dynasty, the Wolong Si (Wolong Temple) in Xi'an was named the Fuying Monastery during the Sui Dynasty and the Guanyin Temple during the Tang Dynasty. In the founding year of the Song Dynasty, 960, it became the Wolong Temple, named after Weiguo, the abbot and celebrated monk who styled himself "Wolong (Sleeping-Dragon) Monk." In the past the Wolong Temple was an enormous complex that had been destroyed and rebuilt during the Ming Dynasty. By the Qing Dynasty, it had emerged as the leading Buddhist sanctuary in Xi'an. During the Republican years it suffered major destruction until it was rebuilt in 1931. The Wolong Temple as it is today is a compound of dignified halls with a methodical layout. It is one of the eight major temples in Shaanxi Province to be opened to foreign visitors.