Kaiyuan Temple

Updated 2026-04-14

Heritage from the Tang Dynasty displaying many precious buddhist relics

Kaiyuan Temple
City
Chaozhou
Address
Kaiyuan Temple, 32 Kaiyuan Rd, Xiangqiao District, Chaozhou, Guangdong Province, Chine, 521021
Cost
Free

Founded in 738 CE during the Tang Dynasty's Kaiyuan era, Chaozhou Kaiyuan Temple is one of only four "Kaiyuan Ancient Temples" remaining in China today.
Unlike most famous temples that nestle in mountains and forests, this one is a "Bodhi Pure Land in a Bustling City."

The temple incorporates elements from the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties to the formal architectural layout of the Tang Dynasty. In the Heavenly King Hall, a surviving Song Dynasty structure, eleven layers of interlocking wooden brackets hold up the entire roof without a single nail or rivet, a masterpiece of ancient Chinese carpentry .
潮州开元寺古意盎然的建筑艺术.jpg

Precious Buddhist relics spanning over a thousand years:

  • Tang Dynasty stone scripture pillars
  • A massive Song Dynasty bronze bell (cast in 1114, over 1,500 kg)
  • A Yuan Dynasty stone incense burner carved from a meteorite
  • A Ming Dynasty gilded wood-carved Thousand Buddha Pagoda
  • A complete Qing Dynasty edition of the Tripitaka (Buddhist canon) in 7,240 volumes

One of the temple's most extraordinary treasures is the Avatamsaka Sutra (Flower Garland Sutra), written in over 800,000 characters using blood drawn from his own tongue by Master Zhicheng during three years of secluded practice amidst the Second Sino-Japanese War .

#### Opening Hours
8:00 – 17:00 (last entry around 16:30)
Visit Duration : 1–2 hours

Nearby Attractions

  • (Paifang) Archway Street → adjacent : one of the largest ancient archway streets in China, featuring 22 Ming and Qing Dynasty stone archways with Nanyang-style arcades
  • Guangji Bridge → approx. 800 m : A unique bridge with a floating pontoon section made of 18 boats, open during the day, closed at night to allow boat passage (Let's see it)
  • Han Wen Gong Temple → approx. 1 km : A historic ancestral hall built to commemorate Han Yu, the famous Tang Dynasty writer and official (Let's see it)

More about Chaozhou