Guangzhou Dafo Temple Visit Guide

World Travel Editorial · 2026-09-11 · 6 min read

This Guangzhou Dafo Temple Visit Guide is a practical guide for first-time visitors. Follow the route section by section rather than trying to cover everything at once.

The Dafo Temple is a Buddhist temple in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. Located in Yuexiu District, Dafo Temple is a grand temple with a history of more than one thousand years and was built by Emperor Liu Yan in the Southern Han dynasty (917–971). It has been praised as one of the "Five Largest Temples of Guangzhou" in history. Later it was destroyed and rebuilt many times. In the late Ming dynasty, the temple was declining day by day and was devastated by the war while Shang Kexi and Geng Jimao conquered Guangdong in 1649. During the reign of the Kangxi Emperor in 1663, the temple was rebuilt and expanded by Shang Kexi continuously. According to the national policy of free religious belief, the temple was approved by the Guangzhou Municipal People's Government to be restored as a Buddhist temple in 1981. Then Master Guangming, vice-president of the Guangzhou Buddhist Association, served as abbot; he tried to revitalize Dafo Temple and restore the style of the large temple. On August 9, 1993, Dafo Temple was put on the list as a Municipality Protected Historic Site by the Guangzhou Municipal People's Government.

Itinerary summary

• Address: No.21 Huixin Zhong Street, Huifu East Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou
• Category: cultural site / heritage building
• Focus: art exhibitions / heritage / nature (varies)

How to plan your visit

Below is a section-by-section walk; skip or extend sections to suit your schedule. Check the 'Practical info' section before you set out.

Dafo Temple

Address: No.21 Huixin Zhong Street, Huifu East Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou

Practical info

• Hours: check the venue’s official announcement (most museums close on Mondays).
• Tickets: book via official channels; some require reservation.
• Reachable by metro / bus; routing depends on your hotel.
• Audio guides available at most museums / galleries.

Photographs

Dafo Temple, Guangzhou, picture6

Photo: Huangdan2060 · · Source · CC0

Interior of the Mahavira Hall, Dafo Temple, Guangzhou, picture2

Photo: Huangdan2060 · · Source · CC0

Pujue Pavilion, Guangzhou Dafo Temple

Photo: Huangdan2060 · · Source · CC0

Sources

• Dafo Temple: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dafo_Temple_(Guangzhou)