Yingjiang Temple

The Yingjiang Temple (River-Greeting Temple) stands, as its name suggests, by the Yangtze River in the city of Anqing, Anhui Province. One of the famous Buddhist sanctuaries in Anhui Province, it was established in 974 (7th year of the Kaibao reign, Northern Song Dynasty) and rebuilt and renamed "Yongchang Monastery for Protection of the State" in 1619 (47th year of the Wanli reign, Ming Dynasty), only to be renamed once again as the "Emperor-mandated Yingjiang Monastery" in 1650 (7th year of the Shunzhi reign, Qing Dynasty). After being repeatedly repaired and expanded, it was razed to the ground during the war in 1853 (3rd year of the Xianfeng reign, Qing Dynasty). In 1870 (9th year of the Tongzhi reign, Qing Dynasty) and 1892 (18th year of the Guangxu reign, Qing Dynasty) it was expanded and rebuilt to attain its present size, a 2,400 and 60-sq. m complex whose five main buildings (Hall of Deva-kings, Mahavira Hall, Zhenfeng Pagoda, Vairocana Hall, and Tripitaka Pavilion) combine with the Yiyuan Garden, the Dashi Pavilion, the Ciyun Pavilion, the Riverside Chamber, and the Garden of Miniature Landscapes to form something that is both a solemn religious sanctuary and a scenic resort. The gate hall of the Yingjiang Temple is flanked by a pair of iron anchors weighing three tons apiece, which probably symbolize that the temple is a veritable ship anchored rock-firm in the Yangtze River. The temple's seven-floored Zhenfeng Pagoda with a staircase installed inside it, is an octagonal structure that rises to a height of 82.47 m and commands an overview of the Yangtze and the city of Anqing.