Historical Evolution of Haihui Temple

In the forty-second year of Wanli (16 14), the court gave Haihui Temple a new name "Wanshan Temple" and awarded the Tripitaka, but Danyang people still used to call it "Haihui Temple". At the same time, the local people in Danyang built a pagoda beside the ancient canal in Dongmen, Danyang, which was named "Wanshan Pagoda" because it was close to Wanshan Temple. At the end of tomorrow, Wanshan Tower will be built in Danyang, which will be completed in the tenth year of Chongzhen in Ming Dynasty (1637). The tower is 7 stories high and 47.76 meters high. This is a pavilion building with wooden eaves. It rises from the ground and goes straight into the sky, so it is also called Babel. The tower room is built in layers, with 8 faces, and each floor has a veranda. Each room has wooden beams, upper floors and wooden escalators.

After the completion of Wanshan Haihui Temple, the incense was once flourishing. 1644, the Ming Dynasty perished, the Qing Dynasty was established, and Wanshan Haihui Temple operated normally. In the twentieth year of Emperor Kangxi of Qing Dynasty, the temple hall was burned down by fire, and the minister of monk treasure raised funds to build it. In the following 100 years, China experienced a prosperous period of kanggan, social stability and economic prosperity. Wanshan Haihui Temple has developed rapidly, with many eminent monks and its reputation spread for hundreds of miles. At the end of Qing Dynasty, the peasant uprising of Taiping Heavenly Kingdom broke out, Xianfeng Gengshen (1860) and Tian Pingjun captured Danyang City, and the county seat was seriously damaged. In this war, Wanshan Haihui Temple was devastated.

In the fourth year of Tongzhi (1864), Danyang was reoccupied by the Qing army. At this time, Wanshan Haihui Temple was "full of thorns and rubble". Kuanhong, who was authorized by the authority to ascend to heaven, experienced hardships. During the eighteen years from the sixth year of Tongzhi (1866) to the ninth year of Guangxu (1883), 90% of the buildings in the temple have been restored, except the Buddhist scripture building. In order to commend merit and enlighten future generations, in the second year, Xu Xilin, a local gentleman in Danyang, wrote an article, engraved "Rebuilding Wanshan Temple Monument" and erected it in the temple. This monument is 2.5m high and 0.50m wide. At the beginning of the monument, there is a pattern of "Two Dragons Playing with Beads", and the eight characters of "Stay in ten places and rebuild the monument" are engraved in regular script. On the eve of the outbreak of War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, Wanshan Haihui Temple was well preserved and was one of the famous temples in Danyang. After 1949, Wanshan Haihui Temple was seriously affected. During the Cultural Revolution, monks were forced to return to the secular world. However, the temple is basically well preserved. Before 1970, the number of temples was 3 * *, and there were more than 50 pagodas, including temples, abbots' buildings and scriptures. The first five rooms are 6 purlins each, with a width of 3.6 meters, a ridge height of 4 meters and a front and rear eaves height of 3 meters. There are four donkey kong on both sides, more than ten feet high. The second room is five rooms, which is the Hall of Great Heroes. It's a hard mountain brick-wood structure with 1 Buddha statue in it. It's a niche for Buddha statues. Each room is 8 purlins, 3.6 meters wide and 8 meters high. The front and rear eaves are 3.6 meters and 4.2 meters respectively. In the first and second patios, there are two cast iron furnaces. The third entrance is 5 rooms, which are also hard-mountain brick and wood structures, with 2 floors, 8 purlins on each floor, 3.6 meters wide, 12 meters high roof and 8 meters high front and rear eaves. There is a corridor with a width of 2.3 meters on the ground floor. There is a 1 relief on the east side of the temple, which corresponds to Wanshan Tower, and people call it a small tower. Later, the former site of Wanshan Haihui Temple was used as the office of the Party School of Danyang Municipal Committee. In 2 1 century, the remaining Hall of the Great Hero was also demolished. Now, all the temples have disappeared except the Buddhist Scripture Building. The two ginkgo trees in front of the Tibetan Scripture Building are still towering, with pale ancient branches, which are the remains of Wanshan Haihui Temple when it was first built in Wanli period of Ming Dynasty.