Daming Temple

Introduction

Daming Temple, located northwest of Yangzhou, is a famous Buddhist temple built in the 5th century. This is where the Tang dynasty (618-907AD) monk Jianzhen studied and became superior of the temple and also a famed teacher of Buddhism in the region. Jianzhen played an integral role in the development of Buddhism in Japan, and after five failures he finally succeeded in crossing the seas and building the Toshodaiji Temple in Nara. In 1973 a memorial hall was built within the Daming Temple honoring Jianzhen and commemorating the renewed friendship between China and Japan.