Six Banyan Temple, Guangzhou

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The Flower Pagoda (Hua Ta) was built at the same time as the original temple in AD 537 but was later rebuilt in 1097. It was rebuilt again in 1373 after a fire in the early Ming Dynasty period, and restored in 1900. The 187-ft (57m) high octagonal pagoda has become a symbol of the city and appears to have nine stories from the outside, but in fact has a total of 17. It is crowned by a richly decorated bronze column weighing 5 tonnes. It's a hard climb to the top but the views are worth it

Open: 8am-5pm. Admission: RMB5 plus RMB10 to climb the pagoda.

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The temple site, situated in Liurong Lu in the old part of the city, was built in AD 537 on the orders of the provincial governor of the time, Xiao Yu, in order to house one of Buddha's bones. The temple was originally called the Baozhuangyan Temple, but during the Northern Song Dynasty, a writer called Su Shi wrote the inscription Liu Rong (Six Banyan Trees) because of the six banyan trees he saw there and it has since been called the Temple of the Six Banyan Trees.

The temple was burned down and rebuilt in the Northern Song Dynasty. Flower Pagoda, the main structure of the temple, was rebuilt in 1097, and was named for its colourful exterior. To the west of the pagoda is Daxiong Baodian Hall - the main hall of the temple. The three biggest copper Buddhist statues placed there are among the biggest and most ancient Buddhist statues in Guangdong. The middle one is Sakyamuni, to the left, the Amitabha and to the right, the Apothecary Buddha. They stand for present, past and future.

Open: 8am-5pm. Admission: RMB5 plus RMB10 to climb the pagoda.

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The Temple of the Six Banyan Trees is one of the four best Buddhist temples in Guangzhou and located on the Liurong Road.

The architecture that catches the visitors' eyes most is the Six Banyan Pagoda. It is a pagoda where Buddhist relics are placed.

When we visited it, we were (for some reason) not allowed to enter the pagoda and premises.

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This world famous ancient Buddhist temple was built in 537 in the Liang dynasty. Emperor Liangwu ordered the master priest, Tanyu to built Baozhuangyan Temple to store the Buddhist bones brought from Kampuchea.
The temple features a 57.6 m high Flower Pagoda, the tallest old structure in the city. The pagoda has 9 stories from outside, but 17 stories from inside. The top story of the pagoda houses the famous thousand-Buddha copper pillar cast in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368).
The main hall of the temple enshrines three giant statues of Buddha built in 1663. Each of them is of six metres high, 10 tons weigh. They are the largest bronze Buddha statues existing in Guangdong.

Templ grounds are amazing. First thing everyone notices is the Pagoda which towers over the compound. But don't get stuck at the pagoda you must explore the entire grounds (the library is off limits), the shrine with the three Buddha are amazing.

It will probably take about an hour to go through.

This very famous Buddist temple was built in 537 during the Liang Dynasty in the Southern Song Dynasty period. Emperor Liangwu ordered master priest Tanyu to build Baozhuangyan Temple to store Buddhist bones brought from Kampuchea. During the Northern Song Dynasty, a famous writer, Su Shi wrote about temple and referred to it as "Liu Rong" or Six Banyan Tree Temple. And thus, the name remained with the temple afterwards. The current structure was built from 960-1127 during the Northern Song Dynasty after the original structure had burned down.

One of the famous structures located on the grounds of the Six Banyan Tree Temple is the Flowery Pagoda. This structure was built in 1097. It stands 57 meters high and consists of a viewable 9 stories. The interior actually consists of 17 stories.

Located West of the Flowery Pagoda is the Grand Hall. This structure was rebuilt in 1983. Inside you will find three large Buddist icons; Sakyamuni in the middle, Amitabha to theleft, and Maitreya on the right. These are the largest ancient brass structures in Guangdong Province. They were made in 1633 during the reign of Emperor Kangxi in the Qing dynasty

ADMISSION: 22RMB

HOURS: 8:30am to 4:50pm

The Temple of Six Banyan Trees (Liu Rong Si) is an ancient but exceptionally well-maintained Buddhist temple situated in the heart of Guangzhou. The Temple was named by a dissident poet, Su Dongpo, who visited the place in the year 1100.

This working temple is very pretty and well maintained. It is right in the heart of the city, quite tucked away. You could walk right past it if it was not for the octagonal Hua Ta Pagoda towering 17 floors above! The pagoda was built in 1097 and shows only 9 floors on outside, making it very interesting to work your way up to the top.

The temple itself was built in 537 in the Liang dynasty during the Southern dynasties (386-581). When you think about what was being build in Europe at that time, you can really appreciate the ancient magnificance of the Chinese civilisation.

More recently, the Grand Hall was rebuilt in 1983 and houses three huge brass statues which were made in 1633. Have a look at my travelogue for more pictures and info on the temple.

Buy a ticket for the temple compound for 1RMB from the window to the left of the entrance. If you want to climb the pagoda, buy your ticket at the base for 10RMB.