Daci Monastery

Insider View

Daci Temple is a 1600-year-old temple hidden in Chengdu Taikoo Li. After shopping in the noisy Taikoo Li, take a stroll in the tranquil Daci Temple, enjoy a cup of tea in its backyard, a perfect getaway from the modern civilization.
— Your China Specialists

Unique Experience

Have a cup of tea and talk with a monk in the backyard of Daci Temple.

Basic Information

Opening Hours: 8:00-17:00
Visiting Time: 1 hours
Chinese Name: 大慈寺
Address: No. 21-23, Dacisi Street, Jinjiang District, Chengdu

Overview – Daci Monastery

Daci Temple is a 1,600-year-old Temple in the same area of Chengdu Taikoo Li. The original temple dates back to the 3rd century. According to Wu Deng Hui Yuan (五灯会元), in the Wei and Jin dynasties, Indian Buddhist monk Baozhang came to Sichuan to worship Samantabhadra and lived in Daci Temple.

In 622, during the Tang dynasty (618–907), Xuanzang (602–664) received full ordination at Daci Temple. In 756, An Lushan (703–757) seized the capital city Chang’an, Emperor Xuanzong (685–762) was evacuated to Chengdu. When he saw the monks of Daci Temple giving food to the poor in the street, he was deeply moved and inscribed and honored the name “Dashengci Temple”.

Emperor Xuanzong issued the decree rebuilding the temple. Master Wuxiang (无相), a prince of Silla, supervised the reconstruction of the temple. In 822, Master Zhixuan (知玄) settled at the temple to deliver Buddhist precepts and attracted large numbers of practitioners. Emperor Wuzong of Tang (814–846) ordered to demolish Buddhist temples, confiscate temple lands and force monks to return to secular life. Because the temple had the handwriting of the former Emperor Xuanzong, it was exceptionally retained and became the only Buddhist temple in the area.

After the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, Daci Temple was classified as a municipal level cultural heritage in Chengdu. It was turned into a museum in 1983. At the end of 2003, Daci Temple was restored and was officially opened to the public on April 8 of the following year. On June 25, 2005, monk Da’en (大恩和尚) was proposed as the new abbot of the temple. The Taikoo Li Chengdu complex, which opened in April 2015, was built surrounding the temple in keeping with traditional Sichuan architecture.

Source: Wikipedia