Jiming Temple

Jiming Temple sits at 1 Jiming Temple Road in Xuanwu District, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, on a small hill beside the Ming city wall and Xuanwu Lake. The site is associated with the Tongtai Temple built in 527 by Emperor Wu of Liang, a devout Buddhist ruler who several times gave himself to the monastery as a lay servant before being redeemed by his court. During the Southern Dynasties, when Nanjing was the capital, the area was a major Buddhist centre with hundreds of temples. The present temple takes its name and general form from the Ming period, when the Hongwu Emperor rebuilt it in the 1380s.

The temple was damaged in the Taiping period and later restored in the Qing, and most of what visitors see today reflects twentieth-century reconstruction after further wartime and later damage. The complex climbs the hillside through a sequence of halls, including the Hall of the Heavenly Kings, the Mahavira Hall and a hall devoted to Guanyin, with incense burning in front of each. The Yaoshi (Medicine Buddha) Pagoda is the most visible landmark, a multi-storey tower that visitors can climb for a view over Xuanwu Lake and the old city wall. The pagoda is a modern rebuilding on an old site rather than an ancient original.

The temple is still an active place of worship, so the experience is devotional as well as historical, and there is no formal museum-style curation. Vegetarian meals are served in a small restaurant nearby, and the road leading to the temple is known for its cherry blossoms in March and April. Admission is about ¥10, making it one of the least expensive historic sites in the city. Visitors are asked to be quiet, avoid pointing feet or cameras at statues and dress modestly. The temple is close to the city wall walk and Xuanwu Lake, so it pairs well with a lakeside afternoon.