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Daxingshan Temple once was the greatest
Buddhist establishment of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, but since the tenth
century it has been destroyed and rebuilt several times.
The latest reconstruction was built in 1956. Today, it has been turned
into a small, quiet and charming park. The main buildings have been repainted
and a handful of monks live and worship there.
The history of this temple can be traced back to the third century, when
its original name was Zunshan Temple. During the Sui Dynasty, it was rebuilt
and was given its present name. Since then, it gradually became the headquarters
of an order with a network of 45 prefectural temples, which were all established
by Yang Qian, the founder of the Sui Dynasty. During the Tang Dynasty,
it became a great center of Buddhist art and learning. However, during
the Buddhist persecution of 841-845, most of the buildings were destroyed
and even ones that survived also disappeared by the end of the Tang. The
temple was rebuilt in the Ming and again restored in 1785 by an expert
on Tang Dynasty Chang'an called Bi Yuan (1730-97). After its reconstruction
in 1956 it was used by a Community of Lamaist monks until the Cultural
Revolution (1966-76). Today it houses the Xian Buddhist Association.
The temple and Xinfeng Park are located south of the Little Goose Pagoda
on a small street called Xingshan Si jie, behind the open market of Xiaozhai.
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