China: Quanzhou – Kaiyuan Temple

Quanzhou is known historically to Western traders as Zayton, one of the largest international ports, praised by Marco Poloans others. The city is jam-packed with historic religious institutions and monuments, temples and shrines, and historic sites, many of which are UNESCO-listed. Kaiyuan Temple is by far the largest and most significant ancient Buddhist temple complex in the area, founded in 686 AS during the Tang Dynasty as Lotus Temple. Th main temple building has many priceless ancient historic relics, but the temple is more famous for its twin pagodas – East (Zhenguo) and West (Renshou). Standing roughly 200m apart on opposite sides of the temple’s main axis, they are the tallest pair of stone pagodas in China. Built in the early 13th centuries, they are 48m and 44m tall and intricately carved and decorated – each is adorned with 80 life-sized reliefs of Buddhist figures.