Plum Temple [Zhaoqing]

Located on Plum Temple Road in the west of Duanzhou District, Zhaoqing City, the temple was constructed by Monk Zhi Yuan in the second year of the Zhidao Reign Period of the Northern Song Dynasty (966), Hui Neng, known as the sixth founder of Buddhism, was born in Xinxing County, Zhaoqing. Hui Neng was so fond of plum blossoms that he planted plum trees everywhere he went. To commemorate Hui Neng, the Plum Temple was later constructed.

At present, the temple consists of the gate, the Grand Hall and the Hall to the Sixth Founder of Buddhism. The Grand Hall shows the architectural characteristics of the Tang and Song dynasties with dougong (a system of brackets inserted between the top of a column and a crossbeam), which is rarely seen in Guangdong and in China. The Plum Temple, now Zhaoqing City Museum, is a key cultural relic under state protection.