Puji Monastery, Lijiang

Chinese Name: 普济寺
English Name: Puji Monastery, Lijiang
Chinese Pinying: Pu Ji Si
Location : In the Puji Mountain, west of Lijiang City
Highlights: One of the 5 famous Lamaist Monasteries in Lijiang
Open Hour: 09:00-17:30
Ticket: 0 CNY

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 Where is Puji Monastery

Puji Monastery is located about 5KM away from Lijiang Ancient Town. There are too many must sees, nice hotels and restaurants, the Naxi Orchestra with its very old members and little streets.

History of Puji Monastery

Puji Temple was built in the thirty-sixth year of Qing Emperor Qianlong (AD 1771), rebuilt in the 11th year of Jiaqing Period (AD 1806), and it was built agian in the 14th year of Daoguang Period (AD 1854). In twenty-six years of the Republic of China (AD 1937), the temple was rebuilt by the Grand Lama of the Puji Temple, and the hall was covered with copper tiles. Puji Temple is one of the five major temples in Lijiang. It has 12 courtyards including the main hall and brothel. There are 3 courtyards in existence, consisting of Shanmen, Hufa Hall, Great Hall, and the north and south wing rooms. There are characteristics of melting Han and Tibetan religion. The main hall is double saddlle roof, which is also known as the copper tile temple. It has a wide area of ​​22.85 meters and a depth of 5 and 20.3 meters. It is rectangular and has a roof covering of 46.4 square meters. It is the only surviving copper tile building in Yunnan. There are two Yunnan cherry blossoms in front of the main hall. It has a history of more than 200 years and is known as the “crown of Yunnan cherry blossoms”. There are also many pear trees outside the temple. Every spring and autumn, the scenery is beautiful and the tourists are woven. The five major temples in Lijiang refer to Yufeng Temple, Fuguo Temple, Puji Temple, Zhiyun Temple and Wenfeng Temple. These five monasteries have a common feature, and all of them are Lama Temple (Baijiao). Among them, Fuguo Temple now has only the main hall, the “Five Phoenix Building” of Yuquan Park.

What to See in Puji Monastery

Puji Temple is located in the famous mountain resort. It has beautiful scenery and magnificent temples. It is famous for its bronze temples. The two ancient cherry blossoms in the temple are known as the “crown of Yunnan cherry blossoms”. The main building is a second courtyard, with setting from south and facing to north, consisting of a Mountain Gate, a Guardian Hall, a Great Hall, and a Sub-hall. The annex building has rooms, abbots, etc. The first entrance to the courtyard was the Shanmen or Mountain Gate and the Guardian Hall with double saddlle roof.

In the second entrance to the courtyard, the east and west are the Sub-hall with double saddlle roof, and the south is the Great Hall. The Great Hall is a double saddlle roof-lifting building with winged corners and copper roof tiles. The golden light is shining and magnificent. The copper tile covers an area of ​​476 square meters. It is said to share 5,760 kilograms of good brass. It is the only existing copper tile temple in Yunnan Province. In front of the Great Hall, the high-hanging four words “Ling Yu Ci Yun”, written by the Linsen, the former President of the KMT. The base of the Great Hall is 4.2 meters high, and the base slab is embedded with 10 white marble reliefs. The carvings are fine and the patterns are beautiful. In the middle, there are twelve steps, and surrounding corridor is used as a white marble. It fully shows the luxury and solemnity of Tibetan Buddhist monasteries. The East Hall is a two-story building, and the hall can be connected to the East courtyard, composed of an elegant and quiet courtyard. The courtyard is planted with ancient trees such as Shilixiang, Rouge Plum and Shuangtaomei. The age of the trees is over 100 years. The leeward sun is suitable for the growth of various flowers and trees. The quadrangle is rarely carved and engraved, and there are no gorgeous decorations, but there are many flower bonsais, giving people a feeling of refreshing, comfortable, serene and quiet.

The Puji Mountain is covered with layers of thick forests and green bushes. Around the Puji Temple, the fruit trees, the spring pears are white, the peach blossoms are red, and the pink apple blossoms bloom, and the bees fly and dance, all of them are colorful. Autumn leaves are full of red leaves, peaches, plums, pears, apricots, apples, and walnuts are covered with branches. There is a clear spring pool in the south of the temple. It is wide and clear, and the clear spring can be seen from the depths of the Dashan stone rock. The summer is not overflowing and the winter is inexhaustible. It is the main source of drinking and irrigation in the temple.

Like many temples in Lijiang, Puji Temple is not only a place where people burn incense and worship Buddha, but also a good place for people to entertain and relax. It is also a place where local scholars study quietly. Since the Qing Dynasty, many Naxi students have studied hard at Puji Temple and have written many poems here.

In front of the Puji Temple, there are two stone tablets engraved with Mongolian and Chinese characters: one is the “National Government Book Monuments”, and the National Government has enshrined the Puji Temple, the Buddha, Hutuktu, and the book of the “Good Master”. The other is the “National Government Order”, and remembers the National Government’s order to seal the Buddha’s Order.

How to get to Puji Monastery

First, people need to get to Lijiang.

From Kunming

By Bus:

By Train: Kunming Train Schedule
Take fast trains from Kunming Railway Station. It takes around 7 to 10 hours. Then change bus no. 16 to get off at Qixing Street Station, or bus no. 18 to White Dragon Square Station. It costs around CNY 40 by taxi.

By Air: Kunming Flight Schedule
Take plane from Changshui Airport. It takes around 40mins. Upon arrival, visitors can take airport shuttle bus to reach Lantian Hotel in the downtown area. Bus fare is around CNY 20. It takes around 30 minutes. Then they can walk around 1 kilometer (1,100 yards) to reach there. Or they can take bus no. 27 and get off at Zhongyi Guangchang. If taking a taxi from Lijiang Airport, taxi fare should be around CNY 80 to 100.

From Dali

By Bus:
Take bus from Tourist Bus Station near the South Gate of Dali Ancient Town, Dali North Bus Station or Dali Express Bus Station to Lijiang Bus Station in the Lijiang Old Town.

By Train:
Take fast trains from Dali Railway Station. Train ticket prices are CNY 34 for a hard seat, CNY 69.5 for a hard sleeper and CNY 104. 5 for a soft sleeper. It takes around 1.5 to 2.5 hours. After arriving, use local public bus to reach the old town.

After arriving in Lijiang, the tourists will drive to Puji Village and then climb about 1 km along Puji Mountain. You can reach Puji Temple through the avenue.

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