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Wenshu Monastery is located in the outskirts of Chengdu, at the edge of the pleasant Nanjiao park.
Wenshu Monastery, a Buddhist monastery dedicated to the God of Wisdom (Wenshu), was first built during the Tang dynasty (618-907AD). It is the largest and best-preserved Buddhist place of worship in Chengdu. Originally known as Xinxiang Temple, it was renamed after a Buddhist monk who lived there in the late 17th century. It is believed that his presence illuminated the monastery.
Covering an area of about 5.5 hectares, the complex consists of almost 200 buildings decorated with exquisite relief carvings, most of them dating back to the 17th century. Its major structures include the Hall of Lokapala, the Hall of Three Bodhisattvas, Daxiongbaodian (Precious Hall of Sakyamuni), Shuofatang (The Buddhist Lecture Hall), and the Scriptures Hall.
There are in the Monastery over 400 statues of stone, iron, bronze, painted-clay as well as wood, in various size and shape. Among them, 19 bronze statues were cast in the Qing Dynasty, and 10 iron statues in the Song Dynasty. The skull of Xuanzang, a monk0 of the Tang Dynasty still kept in the Monastery is most precious. There are numerous Buddhist cultural relics and arts in the Scriptures Hall. They comprise white-jade statue of Buddha from Myanmar, incantations on pattra-leaf in Sanskrit language from India, Japanese gold-plated scripture cylinder of the Tang Dynasty, embroidered picture of Songwen, the Diamond Sutra, calligraphies of the Song, Ming and Qing Dynasties, paintings of Biyan, and Zhuchan, as well as works of famous calligraphers and painters like Heshaoji, Zhengbanqiao and Zhangdaqian in addition to Nanzang scriptures of Ming Dynasty, Zhuangzang scriptures of the Qing Dynasty, and Dade scriptures of Japan. These masterworks of art of both ancient and contemporary China, serve as a testimony to her friendly exchanges with the world.
The newly built Peace Pagoda of A Thousand Buddhas has 11 stories with a height of 22 meters, and decorated with a small yellow bell hung on each of the six upturned corner eaves of every story. Blown by the wind, the bells give out melodious sounds. It is the tallest iron pagoda casted in China.
In addition to its cultural relics, Wenshu Monastery is famous for its exquisite garden and solemn halls. Tourists and locals can enjoy tea in the Tea House while listening to music by folk artists.
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