Jiming Temple

Jiming Temple

Jiming Temple was first built in the Western Jin Dynasty. It is one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Nanjing. Since the Middle Ages, Jiming Temple has been known as the First Temple of the Southern Dynasties.

The history of Jiming Temple can be traced back to Qixuan Temple in Wu during the Three Kingdoms. At that time, the place where Jiming Temple now sits was a garden around a hilltop. Around the year 300, a temple was built on the hill. After the Eastern Jin Dynasty, it was part of the Tingwei Department. In 527, Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty built Tongtai Temple on Jiming Island, which made it a real Buddhist resort. In 1387, the Hongwu Emperor of the Ming Dynasty ordered the demolition of its old houses and a reconstruction and enlargement of its temples. This emperor is the one who named it "Jiming Temple". After the improvements of the Xuande, Chenghua, and Hongzhi Emperors, the courtyard was very large, covering more than 100 mu. Later, the ancient temple was destroyed by a fire in Xianfeng. Although it was rebuilt during the Tongzhi Era and its incense has flourished, the scale of the temple has been greatly reduced.