Guangxiao Temple Travel Guide
Guangxiao existed before Yangcheng · The place where the Sixth Patriarch was tonsured · Hair Burial Pagoda
A Guangzhou folk saying goes, 'Before there was Yangcheng, there was Guangxiao.' This temple was originally the former residence of the King of Nanyue in the Western Han Dynasty. In the Tang Dynasty, Sixth Patriarch Huineng received ordination here. The temple's Hair-Burying Pagoda contains his hair and is the origin of Buddhism in Lingnan.
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Destination Details
Guangxiao Temple is located on Guangxiao Road in Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, and its history can be traced back to the former residence of the third king of the Nanyue Kingdom during the Western Han Dynasty. During the Three Kingdoms period, Yu Fan lectured here and planted a hog plum tree. Later generations converted the residence into a temple. The saying "Before there was Yangcheng, there was Guangxiao" refers to its age being older than the city of Guangzhou.
Highlights
Hair-Burying Pagoda and the Sixth Patriarch
In the first year of the Tang Dynasty Yifeng era, Huineng arrived here. At the moment when the wind moved the banners, he left behind the famous phrase, "It is not the wind that moves, it is not the banner that moves, it is the heart of a benevolent person that moves." He shaved his head under the Bodhi tree in the temple and received precepts. His disciples buried his hair in the ground and built a pagoda to commemorate him, which is now the Hair-Burying Pagoda in the temple—octagonal, seven stories high, about seven meters tall, and the most central spot in Guangxiao Temple.
East and West Iron Pagodas
On the east and west sides of the Mahavira Hall stand two iron pagodas. The West Pagoda was cast during the Five Dynasties Southern Han period, and it is one of the oldest and most complete iron pagodas existing in China. The pagoda body contains castings of over a thousand Buddha statues, with astonishingly detailed craftsmanship.
Suggested Route
- Classic: Shanmen Gate → Heavenly King Hall → Mahavira Hall → Hair-Burying Pagoda → East and West Iron Pagodas → Hall of the Sixth Patriarch, about 1 hour.
- Combine with Six Banyan Tree Temple, Chen Clan Ancestral Hall, and Beijing Road for a half-day tour of Guangzhou's old city.
Practical Information
It takes about an eight-minute walk from Ximenkou Station on Metro Line 1. It is about one kilometer from Six Banyan Tree Temple, so you can visit both consecutively. The temple is still an active religious site, and the visitor route will be narrowed during ceremonies, so please follow on-site guidance.
