Built in 990 during the Song Dynasty, Nanhai Kwan-yin Temple is located on the Niugugang of Fenghuangling Mountain in Foshan, Guangdong Province. During its over one thousand years' history, it has been destroyed and restored repeatedly. Numerous Buddhist disciples from generation to generation came here to worship Nanhai Kwan-yin. In the end of the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911), the temple was totally damaged.
In the 1990s, the temple was rebuilt on the original location Niugugang – a ridge with lush vegetation and appealing scenery. With an area of over 100 mus (about 6.7 hectares), the renovate Nanhai Kwan-yin Temple was open to the public in 1996. Due to the convenient transportation to Guangzhou and Foshan, the temple now attracts many tourists.
The buildings of the temple were designed by the Ancient Architecture Department of Tianjin University. The whole construction followed the architectural style of the imperial palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties especially the Forbidden City in Beijing.
The main buildings inside the temple include Tianwang Temple, Grand Hall, Liuzu Temple, Jialan Temple and Kwan-yin Hall, covering an area of about 20,000 square meters (4.94 acres). They are arranged on three layers with one upon another. The Kwan-yin Temple can be seen from quite a distance and is quite grand. On the central axis of the Kwan-yin Temple, there is a road called the Imperial Pass for the imperial carriage with the stone carvings of dragons and lotuses. According to the regulations in the feudal society, only the palaces can have an Imperial Pass and only the imperial court can have dragon carvings. However, Nanhai Kwan-yin Temple is an exception for it is a palace-style temple.
Additionally, the landscape of its exterior is also picturesque. Especially, when summer comes, the Fangsheng Pool in front of the temple becomes a stage of gorgeous lotuses. Also the Culture Square and waterfall attract many tourists.
Every year on January 26th, according to the lunar calendar, is the Kwan-yin Temple Day. Thousands of devotees will go there to worship Kwan-yin. Thus, it became the largest Buddhist shrine in Foshan.
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