The Qiongzhu Temple (the Bamboo Temple) lies on the northwestern outskirts of Kunming, some 12 kilometres from the downtown area. It is surrounded by wooded hills with their luxuriant vegetation affording wholesome air and a tranquil and pleasant rest. 


The word 'bamboo' has something to do with a legend about the temple. It is said that in the period of the Nanchao Kingdom under the reign of the Tang Dynasty, Prince Santsang's two younger brothers once hunted a rhinoceros in the Western Hills. After they had chased the beast into the Yu An Hills where the temple now stands, it suddenly disappeared. Instead they saw a silver-haired and ruddy-complexioned monk leaning on a bamboo stick in the midst of a cloud tinged with a purplish haze. The two brothers hurried, forward to greet the monk only to lose sight of him in the next moment. The stick was firmly stuck in the ground and soon began sprouting and growing into a thick bamb00 grove. Afterwards, the two brothers built a temple in the place to show their gratitude for this miraculous encounter. 


In fact, the temple was built in about 1280 at the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty by a famous monk who had studied Buddhism in the interior. Therefore, it was also the first temple where Buddhism was preached to the believers in Kunming. 

The temple is chiefly famous for its 500 life-size buddha statues, which were the artistic creation of a well-known sculptor from Sichuan and his three apprentices. The work started in 1883 and was completed in 1890, in the reign of Emperor Guangxu. Highly appreciated by tourists and artists both at home and abroad, this group of statues are reputed as 'a pearl in the treasure-house of oriental sculpture'. 
                         
The entire architecture of the Bamboo Temple was built with the natural landscape of the hills. It consists of five ports, including Tianwang (Heaven King) Temple, Fanyin Pavilion (with 216 arhats images), Tiantailai Pavilion (with 216 arhats images), Daxiong Temple (with 68 arhats) and Huayan Pavilion (rebuilt in October, 1989). 

In the temple, there are many historic relics, such as the 'Tower Stele in Memory of the Death of the Eloquent Buddhist Master' , 'Imperial Edict Stele' in Mongolian and Chinese languages as well as scenery spots, including peacock fir of Yuan Dynasty, Courtyard of Depository of Buddhist Texts and Cemetery of Monks.