Caotang Temple

Shaanxi, People's Republic of China

Open to visitors

The interior is normally open, possibly ticketed.

Strollie cannot guarantee access — always check before you travel.

Caotang Temple, a Buddhist temple on the north hillside of Mount Guifeng in Xi'an, Shaanxi, was rebuilt in 1952 and designated a National Key Buddhist Temple in the Han Chinese Area. The site holds profound historical significance: during the Later Qin period (384–417), the celebrated translator Kumārajīva resided here and produced landmark translations of key Buddhist philosophical texts—the Madhyamika-sastra, Sata-sastra, and Dvadashamukha Shastra—whose doctrines established the foundation for East Asian Mādhyamaka philosophy. Kumārajīva is venerated as the founder of this influential school of Buddhist thought, and Caotang Temple is revered as its birthplace.