About Our Monastery

Hongfu Temple is situated among the peaks of Qianling Mountain in the northwest of Guiyang, Guizhou Province. Founded in 1672, during the 11th year of the Kangxi reign in the Qing Dynasty, it has a history spanning over 350 years.

Legend has it that Venerable Chisong traveled to Guiyang, initially residing in a humble thatched hut on the mountain before raising donations from local communities to build Hongfu Temple. He served as abbot for 34 years, seeing the temple expand into a well-established Buddhist complex during his lifetime.

Venerable Chisong (1634-1706) was born Han Jingqi in Santai County, Sichuan. Orphaned at a young age, he was adopted by the Du family and relocated to Guizhou amid the Ming-Qing transition. At 19, he was ordained under Master Lingyao, later becoming a disciple of Master Minshu, the 32nd generation heir of the Linji Zen school. In 1667, he accepted an invitation to lead the newly established Shoushi Zen Temple in Guiyang. In 1672, he founded Hongfu Temple on Qianling Mountain, which remains one of Guizhou’s most prominent Buddhist landmarks.

Venerable Chisong was a distinguished scholar and poet, well-versed in Confucian classics and Buddhist philosophy. He authored works including Youxing Cao (a collection of poems), Qianling Mountain Chronicles and Buddhist teachings manuscripts, leaving invaluable historical records for future generations. His poetry appears in regional literary anthologies, blending Zen insights with descriptions of the natural world.

The architecture of Hongfu Temple embodies harmonious integration of Buddhist aesthetics and traditional Chinese culture. Its halls feature classic hip-and-gable roofs with nine ridges, topped with ornate treasure domes. The bell and drum towers are decorated with crane sculptures at their corners, a symbol of transcendence. Notably, the stone railings of the Sutra Pavilion are inscribed with Confucian maxims such as "Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire," reflecting the syncretic influence of Confucian values on local Buddhist practice.