This ancient temple at the foot of Five Old Men Hill (Wolaoshan) east of Xiamen was first built more than a thousand years ago during the Tang Dynasty. It received its present name when it was rebuilt during the Qing Dynasty. The original Hall of Great Benevolence (Dabeidian), a wooden structure built on stone foundation, was destroyed in war. Though the present one is a 1930 concrete imitation of the earlier wooden buildings, it looks just as magnificent. The temple is regarded as one of the finest temples in south Fujian and is especially noted for Buddha statues and carvings on steles that are found in its buildings.

Devajara Hall:Also called the Hall of Heavenly Kings (Tian Wang Dian), Devajara Hall is the location of the statues of four ferocious Heavenly Kings. In the center of the hall stands a fat Buddha, Maitreya or Milefo. With a broad smile, bare chest and exposed paunch, Maitreya represents the Buddha of the future, also known as the Laughing Buddha.

Mahavira Hall: Mahavira Hall is built in 1921 and features the statues of the Trinity of the Three Ages (Sakyamuni, the Buddha of the Present; Kasyapa, the Buddha of the Past; and Maitreya, the Buddha of the Future), Avalokitesvara (Guanyin Bodhisattva, the Goddess of Mercy) and Avalokitesvara's disciples. most of the attractive murals on the wall depict Buddhist stories and figures from India.

Dabei Hall: The Dabei Hall is an octagonal tower which was rebuilt in 1928. Inside, four Statues of Avalokitesvara are enshrined on a lotus-flower base. The Bodhisattva with his arms crossed in front of his chest has 48 hands stretching out. Each hand features a miniature scared eye. Two banyans are planted on each side of the hall.

Sutra-Keeping Pavilion: The Sutra-Keeping Pavilion was built in 1936 and houses thousands of Buddhist scriptures, Buddha images from Burma, ivory Sculptures, wood sculptures, bronze bells, incense burner and other works of art. One particular porcelain Avalokitesvara in the Pavilion is said to be very precious.

Another attractive trait of South Putuo Temple is vegetarian diets. All vegetable dishes are made in strict accordance with the vegetable dish making standards, and change the tradition of cooking vegetable in the similar way of cooking meat dishes. These vegetable dishes are well known home and abroad. Much attention is paid to color, fragrance, bouquet, shape, charm, and ware of all dishes. Each dish has a name, an elegant and idyllic name.

Admission Fee:  RMB 3
Opening Hours: 05:40 to 18:00
Bus Route: 17