Hunan Travelogue: The oldest Buddhist academy, Huaihua Yuanling Longxing Lecture Temple

📍Detailed address: Yuanling County, under the jurisdiction of Huaihua City, Hunan Province. Located in the northwest of Hunan Province, at the northern end of Huaihua City. Longxing Lecture Temple is situated at the foot of Huxi Mountain in the northwest corner of Yuanling County town. It is also colloquially known as Longxing Temple and is the oldest existing academy in the world. 🚉Transportation strategy: Take the high-speed train to Huaihua South Station, then transfer to a bus to Yuanling ❤Recommended reason: Longxing Lecture Temple was built by Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, in the second year after he ascended the throne and was specifically used for teaching Buddhism. The stone archway inscribed with Emperor Taizong's edict 'Order to build Longxing Lecture Temple' still stands above the mountain gate today. To the west of Yuanling is the land of the Wuxi barbarians, and the temple was built to educate the local people. The so-called lecture temple is a place for promoting Buddhism and teaching civilization. Many high officials and distinguished scholars have visited this place throughout the ages. Dong Qichang, the Minister of Rites during the Ming Dynasty's Chongzhen period, passed through Yuanling on his way to inspect Yunnan and suffered from an eye disease. He was treated by monks in the temple, and in gratitude, he wrote the plaque 'Buddha Land before the Eyes' for Longxing Lecture Temple, which hangs high on the front of the main hall. The great scholar Wang Yangming, on his way back from exile in Longchang, passed through Yuanling and was specially invited by the students of Chenzhou to teach 'The Extension of Knowledge' in the temple for a month. The group of buildings at Longxing Lecture Temple is rich in decorative art, especially the hollowed-out stone carved lotus seat for preaching in the Mahavira Hall, which is exquisite and translucent, a rare item from the Song to Qing dynasties, and is rarely seen in China. Longxing Lecture Temple