China Guide
Fujian, Guangdong and Hainan Island
Guangxiao Si
Opening time: Daily 6.30am–5.30pm
Price: ¥5
Address: Jinghui Lu (Ximen Kou metro stop)
Spacious and peaceful Guangxiao Si is the oldest of Guangzhou's Buddhist temples. In 113 BC this was the residence of Zhao Jiande, last of the Nanyue kings, becoming a place of worship only after the 85-year-old Kashmiri monk Tanmo Yeshe built the first hall in 401 AD. The temple was later visited by Buddhist luminaries such as the sixth-century monk Zhiyao Sanzang, who planted the fig trees still here today; the Indian founder of Chan (Zen) Buddhism, Bodhidharma; and Chan's Sixth Patriarch, Huineng. Though none of the original buildings survives, the grounds are well-ordered and enclose pavilions concealing wells and engraved tablets from various periods, while three halls at the back contain some imposing Buddha images; the westerly one is unusually reclining, while a more ordinary trinity fills the central hall.