Located in Shaoguan, Guangdong Province, China, Nanhua Monastery is a well-known monastery in China due to its exclusive leadership for Zen sect of Chinese Buddhism.
The monastery was firstly built in 502AD during Liang Dynasty and rebuilt in 1980s. The famous monk Huineng had been here to be the chief monk for 37 years.
Monk Huineng(618—713AD) was born in Guangdong Province and went to Hubei Province when he was 24 years old. Then he went back Guangdong after he was chosen as the Sixth Patriarch of Zen and had stayed for 37 years in Nanhua Monastery. Becasue of him, Nanhua Monastery became a key site for the south Zen. There were thousands follower when Huiineng was here. When Huineng died, his body was mummified to be the body Buddha that can still be worshiped in the monastery nowadays.
There are main gate, drum tower, old banyan trees, Grand Hall, Nine-Dragon Spring etc. in the monastery today.
It is very nice to wander around this typical Chinese monastery when you travel to China. The entrance fee is CNY20.
