Bamboo Temple

Bamboo Temple is located in Yu'an Mountains in the Northwest of Kunming, about 7 Kilometers away from the center of the city.
 

How Bamboo Temple got its name
There is an interesting story about the name of the temple. It is said that in the Tang Dynasty two brothers were hunting at the edge of Lake Dianchi. Suddenly, they found a rhinoceros .The two brothers began to chase the animal, running after it towards Yu'an Mountains. To their surprise, the rhinoceros vanished into the woods. They searched for the animals carefully. But they couldn't find it.

However, they found a few strange-looking monks sitting on the ground. As soon as the two brothers came up to these monks, there was nothing but bamboo there. They felt very curious and tried to pull the bamboo out. But that failed. The next day, the two brothers went along and found that there was bamboo everywhere. So they look that as a very important sign from Buddha. Later, they decided to set up a temple there. Hence it got the name, Bamboo Temple. Obviously, it is nothing more than a legend. Obviously, it is nothing more than a legend, of course; in fact, Bamboo Temple was first built in the Song Dynasty, and was burnt down in 1419 in the Ming Dynasty. Later, the temple was rebulit and renovated several times.
 

What makes Bamboo Temple Famous?
What make this temple famous are the colorful clay sculptures of the 500 Buddhist arhats. They are extremely realistic and lifelike, even if some of the statues are a bit surreal. The 500 arhats of the Qiongzhu Temple are known as the "Sculptured pearls in the oriental treasure-house."
 

Panorama of Bamboo Temple
Around the temple are mountains covered with trees everywhere , and at the gate of the temple stand many very tall cypress trees which were planted in ancient times . The streams and brooks are flowing through the woods and valley, making a beautiful natural sound. At the back of the temple, a great deal of bamboo is so green as if there were some dew-drops on its leaves. That is the so-called Qiongzhu--a kind of bamboo.
 

What to see in Bamboo Temple?
The temple's most outstanding artistic feature is the distinguished, finely crafted statues of the 500 Luohans (Buddhist Arhats, or 'enlightened ones') sculpted by the brilliant artist, Li Guangxiu.
 

→Antiques and couplets
Many antiques are on display in the temple. From the famous poet monk, Dandang of the late Ming Dynasty, to the patriot general, Li Genyuan of this century, numerous people have left their antithetical couplets here. These inscriptions date back to the 1200's and give us glimpses into the life and culture of those times.
 

→Sculptures of 500 Luohans
But what make this temple famous are the colorful clay sculptures of the 500 Buddhist arhats. The Arhats of the Qiongzhu Temple were made over a period of seven years. They are extremely realistic and lifelike, even if some of the statues are a bit surreal. Arhats are famous monks and "saints" of Chinese Buddhism, usually displayed in large groups of 500 or more.

They were created in the Qing Dynasty, during Emperor Guangxu's time (1875 - 1909), when the temple was undergoing major repairs. Li Guangxiu, a famous folk clay artist from Sichuan Province, took his students to Kunming where they spent seven year (1883 - 1890) preparing the sculptures. The arhats stand beside the central Buddha in six rows, with three levels in each row. Each arhat is about one meter tall. Each of the 500 arhats has a different expression and gesture. This is in complete contrast to the usual fixed style of Buddhist sculptures.

With the religious subjects and use of exaggeration, the ancient artists created lively images. Some of them are reaching for the moon with extremely long arms; some are crossing the ocean on extra long legs. There are bare-footed monks and naked-bellied Buddhas. Some are lost in deep thought, some are telling each other good news. Some are tranquil, some angry, some surprised, some curious. One is scratching his back, another is poking his ear. Here are most of the expressions of man in this world- a representation of life as it really is. Hence, the 500 arhats of the Qiongzhu Temple are known as the "Sculptured pearls in the oriental treasure-house." The temple is renowned throughout the world for these sculptures.