Wonderful Fruit Temple

Miaoguo Temple is located at southern foot of Songtai Hill, in Lucheng district of Wenzhou city, Zhejiang province. On the other side of Renmin road is Miaoguo Temple shop. In the west of Miaoguo Temple is Zhang Cong pavilion, and Xiaozi(obedient son) pavilion is in the east of it. As Jiushan(nine hills) Park behind of it, Miaoguo Temple is also a tourist attractions. Songtai Hill is called Jingguang Hill where is Yongjia Master’s grave in Tang dynasty. Emperor Taizong of Song dynasty ever granted a Bian(匾)carved "Sujue ming shan(宿觉名山)”There was a Jingguang Tower in the hilltop, and Jingguang Temple was at the eastern foot.Miaoguo Temple firstly was built in the first year of Dazhongxiangfu(大中祥符)of emperor Zhenzong of the Northern Song(1008AD), when it was located outside the southwest gate of Wenzhou ancient city, and whose patriarch was Miaoguo Wenchang (文昌)Wenchang had ever learned from Ciyun Zunshi(慈云遵式)who lived in Tianzhu Temple of Hangzhou. After that, the monk Jizhong(继忠),Congyi(从义)and Baoyin(宝印)had been its abbot. Fuzong Jizhong who is disciple’s disciple of Siming Zhili(四明知礼)belongs to Shanjia(山家)of Tiantai sect; Shenzhi Congyi preached Sijiaoyi(《四教仪》) in Miaoguo Temple when he was twenty-seven, and his preach had been recorded as Sijiaoyijijie(《四教仪集解》),Dazhao compiled Sijiaoyijizhuyishi(《<四教仪集注>译释》)on this basis now; Qianjian Baoyin(潜涧宝印)who had been not abbot more than one year is the disciple of Qianjian Chuyan(处严)Baoyin is Wang Shipeng’s(王十朋)uncle, and many poems and articles which were writed by Wang have been kept when they writed responsorial poems, however, there werenot Baoyin’s works.In the fourth year of Jiayou(嘉佑)of emperor Renzong of Song dynasty(1059AD), Jizhong built Qianfo Tower(千佛塔)which is thirteen floors in total. The fact that this tower was destroyed in1951because of Liwen(丽温)road works had been taken seriously by Cultural Relics Bureau in Beijing and Zhejiang Provincial People’s Government. Jingguang Tower on the top of Songtai Hill was built in Tang dynasty at first, and Nichuan(逆川)rebuilt it in the end of Yuan dynasty or the beginning of Ming dynasty, and redestroyed in Jiwei(己未)year during Hongzhi(弘治)period(1499AD). Wenzhou People’s Government decided to rebuilt Jingguang Tower in1999, and finished it in2006. During this time, Yongjia master’s relics was unearthed, and placed in Miaoguo Temple. The main building in this temple was rebuilt after the reform and opening up with the help of Huang Zhongying(黄忠英) who was an overseas Chinese in France. After that, Xuesheng, Dachong and Dazhao continued to repaired it until now.In2008, Miaoguo Temple had built for one-thousand years. Different social sectors gifted some paintings and calligraphies which had been compiled as Miaoguosishoucangshuhuaji(《妙果寺收藏书画集》)In the November of2013, when Yongjia master’s parinirvana had passed for1300years, Monks consecrated for Jingguang Tower. The memorial hall for Yongjia master was completed on the Songtai Hilltop, and his relics returned to underground palace.