Chihyun Temple Introduction
Jieyun Temple is located on Ximen Street in Banqiao District, dedicated to Guanyin Bodhisattva. It was originally established during the Yongzheng period at Shibi Lake in Zhonghe, known as Ciyun Rock, and if calculated from this time, the temple has a history of over two hundred years. In the third year of the Xianfeng era, Ciyun Rock was burned down by people from Quanzhou. In the sixth year of Xianfeng, it was relocated to the northwest corner of Banqiao by Lin Guofang, and later, due to the construction of the Lin Benyuan residence, it was moved to its current site to build a temple for worship. Since then, Jieyun Temple has replaced the previous Ciyun Rock and become the center of faith for the residents of Baijie Shizhuang (now Banqiao, Zhonghe, Yonghe, Tucheng, etc.). The name Jieyun Temple means "to welcome" and "to receive incense." The destruction of Ciyun Rock and its relocation to Banqiao indicates that under the development of the Lin family, Banqiao had replaced Zhonghe as the center of commerce, faith, and self-defense for the local community. The temple houses many precious ancient plaques and couplets, and the sides of the main hall's roof feature numerous wooden carvings of celestial beings wrapped in gold leaf, which are quite dazzling, along with a uniquely designed long oval coffered ceiling, giving it significant historical and religious value.
