TempleWenshu Monastery, Eastern Suburb Memory and Wangping Street
WENSHU MONASTERY (WENSHU YUAN) · WENSHU YUAN
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VERIFIED2026.09.11Wenshu Monastery, Eastern Suburb Memory and Wangping Street · 30.678°N 104.070°E
FreeClosure day
A working Buddhist monastery in the north of the old city — rebuilt in the Kangxi years on a Sui-era site, ranked first of the four great Chan monasteries of the Yangtze basin, and still run by monks, with morning chanting, free incense at the gate and an airport-style security check on big days. Free, no booking, 8:00-17:00 by the temple's own notices; the garden teahouse and the vegetarian dining hall are what make it a half-day rather than a quick look. Metro Line 1 stops at the door.
Address66 Wenshuyuan Street, Qingyang District (the temple gate faces the lane; the rebuilt Wenshufang shopping lanes wrap around its east and south sides)Verified · 2026-09Source ↗Navigate ↗
EntranceMetro Line 1 Wenshu Monastery station, Exit K — 5 minutes' walk east; the main gate (shanmen) is on the south side
Last verified 2026-09-11
How to book
None — walk in; security check at the gate on festival days (temple notice)Verified · 2026-02Source ↗
ID details
ID rules: see details. None in the temple's 2026 notice — only a security check at the gate; the 2023 covid-era listing that asked for ID is not current practice
Beat the crowds
New Year's Eve 21:00-24:00 and the first day of the lunar year 10:00-14:00 are the queues the temple itself warns about (2-3 hours); the 1st and 15th of each lunar month are busy with worshippers; any weekday morning is quiet and the monks are chanting.
Language
Chinese only; hall plaques are Chinese. Temple office (2023 listing): 028-86930623; dharma affairs 028-86932375.