Yufoyuan Temple

CHINA, Liaoning, Anshan

Yufoyuan means Jade Buddha Garden. It is located within the Dongshan scenic area. The construction of the temple was completed in 1996.
Surrounded by the mountains on three sides and facing a lake on the fourth side, the temple covers a total area of around 10 ha. Along the central axis there are the main temple gate, Heavenly King Hall, Triple Entrance Gate, and the Jade Buddha Pavilion. Along the two sides there are the bell and drum towers, side halls, and the abbot’s quarters. The Triple Entrance Gate consists of a Relic Hall at the top, which has a single-eave hip-and-gable roof. The hall is surrounded by white marble balustrades, whose panels are engraved with lions in varying postures. The Jade Buddha Pavilion has a hip-and-gable roof. It is 66 m long, 58 m wide, and 33 m high. From the exterior it appears to be two stories high, but inside it consists of three stories. The first story is used for worshipping, while the second story has a platform for viewing the Sakyamuni Buddha statue. The exterior of the third story has a balcony for viewing the surrounding area.
The statue of Sakyamuni Buddha is sculpted from a large piece of jade discovered in 1960 in Youyan, Liaoning. It measures 7.95 m high and 6.88 m wide, and it is 4.1 m thick. It weighs just over 260.8 t. The front of the stone has been carved with the image of Sakyamuni Buddha, while the back has the image of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. The veranda and courtyard of the Jade Buddha Pavilion are supported by 18 marble columns, each 7.2 m high and decorated with carvings of two dragons playing with a pearl.