James Baquet

THE morning after my hike down from Huiji Temple, I walked from my hotel to Puji Temple, once again passing the Plentiful Treasure Pagoda.

Also outside the gates of the temple is the Haiyin (Sea Image) Pond, used for releasing fish and turtles as an act of compassion (a “free life pond”). Three bridges cross the pond: in the past, the western one was for commoners, the eastern for nobility, and the central one reserved for the emperor, leading directly to the main gate of the temple.

A legend says that an emperor once tried to enter the main gate dressed as a peasant, and a monk forced him to enter by the side. Angered, the emperor decreed that thereafter, only emperors could use the center gate, so today visitors have to detour to the east to enter.

At its founding, Puji was actually the Bukenqu Guanyin Temple I mentioned a couple of weeks ago. In 1080, it was moved and enlarged, and given the new name (meaning “Universal Aid”). Today’s Bukenqu Guanyin Temple is in fact a reconstruction built in 1998.

The temple is fairly large, with nine main halls, including a magnificent Yuantong (“Accommodation”) Hall dedicated to Guanyin, the Bodhisattva of Compassion.

Nearby is a museum containing artifacts related to the island’s history, and a small bookstore. A little further west is the entrance to the “Western Paradise,” an area of footpaths and inscribed stones. Alas, I had other places to see and only went as far as the front gate before heading back to Fayu Temple for a more complete visit.