Qualla: Wofo Temple

Wofo Temple: Introduction

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Zeus1234, CC BY-SA 3.0. The Buddha is lying down. Stretched across 5.2 meters and weighing approximately 54 tons, the bronze figure reclines in the posture of final nirvana -- the moment of the historical Buddha's death and release from the cycle of rebirth. Cast in 1321 during the Yuan dynasty, this statue has outlasted every other feature of the temple that houses it. Wofo Temple, originally built in the 7th century and known then as Doulu Temple, has been destroyed and rebuilt so many times that its current incarnation dates only to 1734. But the reclining Buddha has endured, its bronze surface darkened by seven centuries of incense smoke and the touch of pilgrims' hands.

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Image: Zeus1234 | CC BY-SA 3.0

Wofo Temple: Thirteen Centuries of Reinvention

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Otto Ehrenfried Ehler (1855-1895) – Uploaded by: Immanuel Giel 8 July 2005 09:00 (UTC), Public domain. When Wofo Temple was first constructed in the 7th century, during the Tang dynasty era, its builders could not have imagined how many times their work would need to be redone. The temple endured successive destructions and reconstructions across the centuries, changing names as f...

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Image: Otto Ehrenfried Ehler (1855-1895) – Uploaded by: Immanuel Giel 8 July 2005 09:00 (UTC) | Public domain

Wofo Temple: Three Halls on a Single Axis

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Miguelwang2010, Public domain. Wofo Temple follows the traditional north-south axis of Chinese Buddhist architecture. Visitors pass through an entrance gate and proceed through three halls arranged in sequence: the Tianwang Hall, honoring the Four Heavenly Kings; the Sanshi Buddha Hall, dedicated to the Buddha...

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Image: Miguelwang2010 | Public domain

Wofo Temple: A Garden and Its Guardian

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Daderot, Public domain. Wofo Temple sits near the Beijing Botanical Garden, about 20 kilometers from the center of the city, in the foothills of the Western Hills. The surrounding landscape of cultivated gardens and forested slopes gives the temple a sense of remove from urban Beijing that most of the c...

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Image: Daderot | Public domain