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China Elevator Stories
Puzhao Temple, A Buddhist Temple In Tai'an (China Travel)
This stunning temple in Tai’an is well worth a visit.
06/08/2025
Ruth Silbermayr
Author
On one of my last days in Tai’an, I visited Puzhao Temple (普照寺 Pǔzhàosì) at the foot of Taishan Mountain with both my children. Since the weather in Tai’an was too hot on most days to go outside during the day in July, we went on a rainy day to escape the heat. My children didn’t mind the rain and enjoyed visiting the temple. They were excited to explore all the courtyards and halls and also found the turtles in the pond fascinating!
The entrance is located at Puzhao Street in Tai’an, and it can easily be found on Gaode Maps (高德地图 Gāodé dìtú) if you simply type in the Chinese name of the temple (in Chinese, if you can input Chinese on your phone). The address is: Puzhao Temple, No. 128 Puzhao Temple Road, Tai’an, Shandong Province, China.
The temple wasn’t far from my home, which was about 2–3 km from one of the entrances to Taishan Mountain.
It is a small but very beautiful temple, which you reach by walking a short distance through a beautiful pine forest. There was no entrance fee when we went, which is another plus. I write a little about frugal travel and saving money when traveling or moving, so make sure to check out my other posts as well. China is a great country for frugal travel, but you can also easily overspend if you don’t know where to find cheaper spots, hotels, or other affordable ways to travel.
The temple features a few halls and small stone pagodas located near a pond. These are very beautiful and make the temple unique. There are other places in the forest that can be visited as well, which we didn’t see because of the rain.
My children, particularly my younger son, asked for blessings at every single one of the huge Buddhist statues located in the middle of each hall, which means kneeling down and kowtowing three times. They must have learned to do this from their Chinese family, since I am not too familiar with Buddhist rituals (I recognize some when I see them, but that’s about the extent of it).
They also lit incense sticks at the incense burner in the center of the temple and spoke to the people working there, who—as always happens when I go somewhere with my children—asked them where their parents were from, where they were from, and which grade they are in at school.
Most of the time, they answer all questions honestly, but if someone seems a bit strange or wants to know too many private details, I usually tell them that where I am from is a secret. My children have even called Austria a “secret country” (保密国 Bǎomìguó) once, when they realized I didn’t want everyone to know where I was from (and where they are partly from).
We spoke with one man at the temple who told us he was working for free, without pay, doing volunteer work. He still had three more years until retirement.
The incense at the temple was free, but other things were not, which is common in such temples. I have encountered monks who tell your future at such temples for a fee of around 100–200 yuan, and one of the ladies working at this particular temple asked us if we wanted to light a candle because of what had happened to me and my children, for 50 yuan.
I think the candle was meant to ask for Buddha’s protection, blessings, or something similar, but I am not a fan of the marketing schemes going on at these temples and the way people try to make money. It seems a bit too worldly, since such things shouldn’t only be available to those who have money, in my opinion. If they ask you to pay for a candle, I understand that and think it’s legitimate, but for anything else—stay away if you want to hold onto your money and pray for free. There’s no need to pay money to ask Buddha for protection, blessings, good fortune in the coming year, or anything else you need, if you want to.
The temple itself dates back to the Tang dynasty.
One of the texts carved into stone in front of one of the halls describes part of its history and reads as follows (translated from Chinese):
Biography of Master Mankong
Mankong (1238–1463) was a native of Goryeo. In the 19th year of the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty (1421), he led nine disciples by sea from the Korean Peninsula. Upon arriving in the capital, he was granted an audience with Emperor Yongle and, by imperial decree, went to reside at Tianjie Temple in Nanjing.
Seven years later, again by imperial order, the Ministry of Rites issued him an ordination certificate, and he proceeded to Mount Tai to reside there. He first rebuilt Zhulin Temple and, ten years later, revived Puzhao Temple, becoming the founding patriarch responsible for the temple’s revival during the Ming Dynasty.
Mankong resided at Puzhao Temple for 25 years, spreading the Dharma and benefiting sentient beings, gaining great fame far and wide as a renowned monk in China. In the ninth year of the Tianshun reign (1463), Mankong passed away at Puzhao Temple. After his death, over a hundred relics (śarīra) were discovered, and a pagoda was built to enshrine them.
Have you ever been to Puzhao Temple?