The Golden Temple sits on Mingfeng Hill in the northern outskirts of Kunming, inside a large park of cypress woodland, and the name is literal. The main hall of the temple is not a timber building sheathed in gold leaf; it is cast in bronze, assembled from sections, down to the roof tiles, the columns, the doors, the brackets and the statues inside. It is one of the largest surviving bronze buildings in China and it is complete, which is what makes it remarkable.
How it came to be made
The first bronze hall on the site was erected at the beginning of the seventeenth century by a provincial official, and it was a smaller structure; the present, larger hall was built several decades later, in the early Qing, after the original was moved elsewhere. The patron of that second hall was a general whose career and reputation make the object interesting in itself: the temple was rebuilt at a moment when patrons with military wealth were investing heavily in religious architecture across the region. The hall survived the twentieth century largely intact, and it has been restored without being rebuilt.
The park around it
The temple is set within a hillside park of old trees - cypresses, camellias and magnolias - with courtyards, side halls, a bell and a drum tower and a small museum of bronze objects, coins and vessels. In late winter and early spring the camellias bloom in quantity and the park becomes a destination for local families. The walk up from the gate to the temple takes about twenty minutes through woodland, and there are terraces and pavilions along the way with views back over northern Kunming and, on clear days, towards the Western Hills and the lake beyond them.
Practical notes
The Golden Temple is in the northern part of Kunming, reachable by bus or taxi in about half an hour from the city centre, and it charges an admission covering the whole park. It is open daily, and needs about two hours including the walk. Take the main path rather than the cable car unless you are short of time. The site combines well with the Bamboo Temple, which lies in the same range of hills and can be reached from it by road, making a good half day out of the city.
