# Kaiyuan Temple (开元寺)

Quanzhou, Fujian Province · East China, China · Guidebook rating: 4/5
Canonical: https://cnatrip.com/en/places/kaiyuan-temple
Language: en

## Key facts

- **Admission:** Free
- **Opening hours:** 6：30—17：30
- **Time needed:** 1–3 hours
- **Address:** No. 176 West Street, Licheng District
- **Getting there:** Near the west gate of Kaiyuan Temple (bus stop)
- **Good for:** History & Culture, Temples

## About Kaiyuan Temple

The most spectacular sights are the twin pagodas on either side of the temple, the tallest and largest pair of stone pagodas in China and a symbol of ancient Quanzhou. In short, a visit to Quanzhou is incomplete without seeing Kaiyuan Temple.
Each tier of the pagodas has relief carvings on both sides of its door niches, sixteen panels in all, each with a distinct and lifelike expression. The waist of the plinth's Xumizuo (須彌座) base bears 39 blue-stone relief panels depicting scenes from the life of the Buddha, drawn largely from Buddhist scriptures and ancient Indian folk myths and legends, vivid and finely crafted.

---
Source: China Self-Guided Travel 2025 (《中国自助游》, Tianjin Science & Technology Press, Aug 2024), p. 1527. Prices, hours and transport details are as printed in the August 2024 edition and may have changed. Always confirm with the venue before you travel.
Site: China Trip (https://cnatrip.com) — independent China travel guide in 13 languages.