Wenshu Monastery
Located at No. 66 Wenshu Yuan Street, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, Wenshu Monastery was built in the Sui Dynasty and is a famous Buddhist monastery. Walking into the historic Wenshu Monastery, you can feel the tranquility and solemnity of thousands of years. This ancient monastery has a history of more than 1,400 years and has witnessed the piety and prayers of countless believers. Wenshu Monastery is also one of the four Chinese Zen Buddhism in China.
Manjushri is the Chinese word for the future of the Maitreya Buddha and they feel a constant glow during the construction of the original temple. Here you can find a cup of green tea and the best vegetarian meal in the city. A tourist / cultural area is emerging around the monastery, so finding food, souvenirs and other cultural ornaments should not be a problem.
Layout
Wenshu Monastery covers an area of 13.5 acres, with more than 190 halls and rooms, north to south, with its beautiful gardens, solemn artifacts and cultural relics, attracting a large number of tourists at home and abroad. As an official provincial protection site, Wenshu Monastery is an enclosed four-way courtyard with ancient architectural styles centered around the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), such as the Temple of Heaven, the Mahavira Hall, the Three Halls, the Evangelical Church, Temple, etc., as well as Buddha Recitation Hall, vegetarian rooms, guest rooms and a complete set of temples, the Drum Tower and Bell Tower stand to face each other. The suggested travel route is burning incense and worshiping Buddha → touring the Temples → drinking tea and copying scriptures - eating vegetarian food.
Highlights
Wenshu Monastery is not only the site of a Zen shrine and ancient garden buildings but also a Buddhist holy place for worship, sightseeing, and religious practice.
Thousand Buddhas and Peace Pagoda
Located on the easternmost side of Wenshu Monastery, next to the outlet for legal affairs, the iron tower has a total of 1,000 Buddha statues, hence its name. Many people go down to pray around the tower and make wishes.
Cultural Relics
There are many precious cultural relics and tens of thousands of Buddhist scriptures and documents in the Monastery. The most famous cultural relics in the courtyard are the "Two Saints of Konglin" (the relics of Buddha and the parietal bone relics of Master Xuanzang) and the "Eight Views of Konglin" including an elaborate jade Buddha statue from 1922 from Burmese. In addition, the monastery also contains about 300 statues, including iron, copper, stone, wood, jade and other materials, as well as some precious paintings.
Vegetarian Restaurant
After visiting the monastery, be sure to dine in a vegetarian restaurant such as Xiangyuan (parity restaurant) or some other upscale vege restaurants next to the tea house. Do not worry about the words "pork" and "beef" in the bilingual menu; they use fake meat substitutes. Also, do not be intimidated by spicy notes on the menu. Compared with hot pots, they are not spicy.
Teahouse
The monastery's tea house is very famous. It's an ideal place to enjoy Chinese tea art and tea culture while enjoying the performances of folk artisans in a beautiful environment.
Useful Tips
- To get to Wenshu Monastery, you can take subway Line I. Please exit at K Gate and walk 500 meters to get there.
- Here incense is provided by the monastery (on the right side after getting through the entrance, one for each person) and visitors can participate in free Buddhist activities.
- Offering lanterns to pray for blessings is a major feature of Wenshu Monastery. It costs 15 yuan per lamp. It can be reached through the Thousand Buddha Pagoda from the south gate.
- Scripture copying is another highlight, open all year round from 10:00 to 22:00. It is recommended to go immediately after burning incense to enjoy the beautiful scenery outside the window while copying sutras.
- There are also Jianshe Lane Snack Street, Chunxi Road, Kuanzhai Alley, and People's Park, about 3 kilometers away.
Conclusion
In essence, Wenshu Monastery is not a tourist attraction but a real Buddhist shrine. It's free of charge. Perhaps it is the true meaning of Wenshu Monastery that does not take but gives. The long history of Wenshuyuan makes your visit worthwhile in Chengdu. For many tourists interested in Chinese traditional culture, this is a must-see attraction that should be written on your travel list.