Ding Hui Temple was built in 591 AD in Sui dynasty

Sui Dynasty

The Sui Dynasty was a powerful, but short-lived Imperial Chinese dynasty. Preceded by the Southern and Northern Dynasties, it ended nearly four centuries of division between rival regimes. It was followed by the Tang Dynasty....

. According to Xu Gao Seng Zhuan written by a monk called Dao Xuan in Tang dynasty

Tang Dynasty

The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...

, the emperor Sui Yang

Emperor Yang of Sui

Emperor Yang of Sui , personal name Yang Guang , alternative name Ying , nickname Amo , known as Emperor Ming during the brief reign of his grandson Yang Tong), was the second son of Emperor Wen of Sui, and the second emperor of China's Sui Dynasty.Emperor Yang's original name was Yang Ying, but...

 held a meeting involving thousands of monks in Yangzhou

Yangzhou

Yangzhou is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China. Sitting on the northern bank of the Yangtze River, it borders the provincial capital of Nanjing to the southwest, Huai'an to the north, Yancheng to the northeast, Taizhou to the east, and Zhenjiang across...

. The creator of Tiantai Buddhism passed by Rugao

Rugao

Rugao is a city of Jiangsu province, People's Republic of China, located in the Golden Triangle region in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. It is one of the historical and cultural city of Jiangsu province....

 and decided to build a temple. He took apart of houses and built a temple. And a pagoda was built at the same time.

Brief introduction

Ding Hui Temple was seriously damaged due to wars in Song dynasty

Song Dynasty

The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...

. In Ming Jiajing, Yangzhou government donated 46410 Liang( Chinese:两pinyin: liang ) to Rugao

Rugao

Rugao is a city of Jiangsu province, People's Republic of China, located in the Golden Triangle region in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. It is one of the historical and cultural city of Jiangsu province....

and helped Rugao to repair the whole city because Rugao was always disturbed by Japanese pirates. In Ming wanli, Ding Hui Temple was totally rebuilt and a scripture library was built. In November 1983, People’s Government of Jiangsu Province decided to open the temple to public. Most of its heritages were ruined and Buddha statues were heavily damaged. By Rugao Government’s efforts, Ding Hui Temple restored to its original and many tourists visit the temple every year.

Temple layout

Ding Hui Temple covers an area of 16 Mu and the whole layout presents a shape like a Chinese character “回”. House churches are outer ring and temples are inside. The gate of the temple faces north, which is rare in China. Da Xiong Palace and Scripture library are both at south facing north. Now, a river surrounds the temple and makes the temple more beautiful.
In Jingang Palace, there are four Buddha which have different appearance and postures. Zengzhang King carries a sharp sword with angry eyes. Chiguo King holds a lute looking up with pretension. Duowen King takes a umbrella with a hideous face. Guangmu King seizes a dragon by his strong muscles.