- Jindian Park
Jindian (Golden Temple) Park is the largest
Taoist Tongwa (bronze -tiled)temple inChina and has been preserved almost intact since it was first built.It is located on the
Mingfeng Mountains , seven kilometres to the east ofKunming city, there is a fine building made of bronze. It is commonly known as "Jindian " (the "Golden Temple").History
The Golden Temple was first built in the 30th year of
Emperor Wanli 's rule (1602) in theMing Dynasty . Yunnan was ordered to send thebronze ore fromDongchuan tocentral China to make coins. But a war blocked the road. The governor of Yunnan, Chen Yongbing, andQianguogong , the Duke of Guizhou Province, Mu Changzuo, ordered that the bronze be used to build a temple in imitation of the Taihe Palace and the Golden Temple on Tianzhu Peak in theWudang Mountains ,Hubei Province. The temple was later moved to theJizu Mountains in western Yunnan. During the reign of the QingEmperor Kangxi (1662-1722), Wu Sangui, a military general, rebuilt the temple, keeping the original Hubei design. The bronze used weighed over 200 tons.The temple walls were made with cast panels covered with exquisite and diverse designs. They are examples of thesmelting andcasting techniques in Yunnan a few centuries ago.In front of the staircase outside the Golden Temple, the wide branched camellias are called "Diechi" (Butterfly Wings). They are covered with thousands of flowers in the depth of winter. The two
myrtle s close by were planted in the Ming Dynasty.At the top of the mountain behind the temple hangs a 14-ton "Great Bell of the Ming Yongle Era". 2.1 meters tall and 6.7 meters in circumference, the bell was cast in the 21st year of the
Yongle era (1424), over 560 years ago. It used to hang in Xuanhua Mansion in Kunming to announce the time. When Kunming expanded however, it was moved to the Golden Temple. In recent years, the Temple has been expanded several times when the "Parrot Garden", the "Camellia Garden", and the "Orchid Garden" were added.References
* http://www.kmtrip.net/en/city/kunming/attraction/goldentemple.htm
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