Nanputuo Temple

The Nanputuo Si (South Putuo Temple) in Xiamen (Amoy) was originally the Puzhao Temple established during the Tang Dynasty. It was renamed the "Sizhou Monastery" when it was reconstructed during the Five Dynasties, but was restored to its original name during the Song Dynasty. It was demolished during the Yuan Dynasty. When it was rebuilt during the Hongwu reign (1368-1398) of the Ming Dynasty, an Avalokitesvara Hall was added to it, but all this was burned down towards the end of the Ming Dynasty. Because the temple is situated south of Mount Putuo in Zhejiang Province, it was renamed the "South Putuo Temple" after it was reconstructed during the Kangxi reign (1662-1722) of the Qing Dynasty. The temple enjoyed its peak of popularity during the 1920s and the 1930s, when the South Fujian Buddhist Seminary headquartered in the temple turned out large numbers of professional monks. The seminary was forced to close down after Japan launched an aggressive war against China in 1937, and it was not reopened until recent years. A good number of new structures have been added over the last few years, turning the South Putuo Temple into the foremost Buddhist sanctuary in Xiamen. On any given day the temple is crowded with visitors.