Accolades
- Largest temple in the little city of Zunyi.
- The city is famous in communist revolution history, so a lot of people visiting the revolutionary sites also stop at the temple.
- The present buildings are renovated, and much of it was built in the 1920s.
- Active temple.
Features
The temple is next to the Xiangjiang River, so one of the highlights is seeing the scenery around the site. There are three buildings along the central axis. The Hall of Heavenly Kings 天王殿 is the first hall. It is in the front, and you can enjoy the beautiful scenery at the River-watching Pavilion that is to the left of the Hall of Heavenly Kings. The Great Buddha's Hall 大雄宝殿 is the next hall. The Mother Buddha’s Hall 观音殿 is the third hall. It has books, pictures, carvings, statues and a dagoba.
History
The site may have a long history, but the current buildings were built about 1925 or much more recently since the early 1980s. The complex was turned into a dormitory and housing for a battery factory on the premises. In 1981, the city government supported restoration of the Buddhist temple. In 1983, the Provincial Government granted the opening of the temple as a cultural preservation unit. Since then, millions of RMB have been spent on restoration and expansion, and the temple attracts Chinese people who are touring the historical sites and Buddhists.
Transportation
- Address: Xiangshansi, Inner Ring Road, Zunyi, Guizhou. You can show this address to a taxi driver: 贵州遵义内环路湘山寺.
- Taxi: Taxis in Zunyi City start at about 5 RMB or 80 USD, and traveling within the city shouldn't cost most than 8 RMB or 1.20 USD.
- Local Bus: You can take a bus that goes from the Zunyi Bus Station and goes to the International Mall. There is an intersection in front of the mall. Go to the intersection, turn left, and then go straight along the road. You should see the main entrance of Xiangshan Temple.
- Intercity Buses: You can travel from Guiyang to Zunyi by intercity bus. This takes about two or two and a half hours. If you haven’t traveled by bus in remote places in the country, then its a learning experience.
