A Guide to Visiting Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou: Check-in Guide for the Millennium Temple, Filming Locations for "Wukong" (God of War) and Trivia About the Twin Pagodas

✨History Quick Refresh "When the mulberry trees bloomed white lotuses, the local tycoon immediately donated land!" Kaiyuan Temple, built in 686 AD during the Tang Dynasty, was originally the mulberry garden of the wealthy Huang Shougong. Legend has it that the eminent monk Kuang Hu Zen Master asked him for land to build the temple. Huang, the local tycoon, challenged him, saying, "Wait until the mulberry trees bloom white lotuses!" The next day, the mulberry trees were indeed covered in white lotuses. Overwhelmed, Huang immediately donated the land, hence the temple's name, "Sanglian Fajie." The current layout was established during the Song Dynasty, bearing witness to Quanzhou's glory as the "greatest port in the East during the Song and Yuan Dynasties." 🗼 East and West Pagodas: A Top-Notch Couple in the Stone World 1. East Pagoda, Zhenguo Pagoda - Height: 48.27 meters (Quanzhou's tallest stone pagoda) - Weight: Approximately 10,370 tons (equivalent to 6,900 cars!) - Symbolism: The Eastern Saṃsāra Realm, with relief carvings meticulously divided into the "Five Vehicles of Buddhism" 2. Sita Renshou Pagoda - Highlight: The fourth floor houses the "Monkey Walker"! With scriptures tied around his waist, he resembles the Monkey King, and scholars speculate he's the monkey god Hanuman from the Indian epic "Ramayana." - Cute contrast: The base of the tower features carvings depicting "two lions playing with a ball" and "a dwarf carrying a tower," painted in a cheerful style reminiscent of Song and Yuan dynasty emojis. 💡 Fun fact: The twin towers have survived 740 years and an 8.0 magnitude earthquake. The secret lies in their "bicycle wheel structure": the tower's core serves as the axis, while stone beams act as spokes to support the towers! 🎬 Film and television location reference: Wukong's happy hometown - The Monkey Walker in the Sita: A direct inspiration for a scene from the game "Black Myth: Wukong"! Want to capture the same scene? Target the fourth floor of the Sita and shoot the Monkey King relief from above. - The set of the 1986 version of "Journey to the West": - Main Hall: 24 "hybrid" flying celestial musicians (half-human, half-bird figures holding musical instruments) create a dreamlike backdrop for Tang Monk Tang's journey through India. - Beneath the West Pagoda: A mist-shrouded demon lair feels like a ghost! 📸 Photography Tips: Photographers at the entrance start at ¥50, bring your own wide-angle lens for free. Tips: 1. Main Hall Stairs: Frame the flying celestials and the East and West Pagodas together. 2. Beneath the Ancient Banyan Tree: Use a tree shadow filter and an oblique angled composition of the twin towers for an instantly stylish look. 🌳 Lazy Time Zone: - Shaded Air-Conditioned Hall: The temple's eight 200-800-year-old banyan trees have built-in sunshades. Stone benches under the trees are equipped with water dispensers, instantly cooling you down by 10°C. - Mulberry Tree Miracle Area: Behind the temple, the thousand-year-old "Three Trees from the Same Root" mulberry tree, surviving a lightning strike and continuing to grow (with a photo-op wall inscribed by Zhu Xi). 💥 Tip: After 10 AM or 4 PM, the light is soft and the crowds have dispersed, making it easy to book the entire area for photos of the pagoda! Avoid weekends, otherwise the streets will be filled with saints (and tourists). #QuanzhouKaiyuanTemple #Quanzhou #Quanzhou