Hongyadong
Chongqing, China
Luohan Temple, Chongqing
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Photo: Huangdan2060, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia CommonsFit in nearby today
The essentials in 10 seconds
- Ticket
- ¥20, including three incense sticks and a lotus candle
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From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Hours
- Daily: 8 Oct–30 Apr 8:00–17:30 (last entry 16:50), 1 May–7 Oct 8:00–18:00 (last entry 17:20); unofficial
- Time on site
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A typical visit without queueing. In high season add 15–30 minutes. - 45 min
- With kids
- Fine with kids
- Winter hours
- 8 Oct–30 Apr: 8:00–17:30, tickets and last entry 16:50
verifyingi
From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Summer hours
- 1 May–7 Oct: 8:00–18:00, tickets and last entry 17:20
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From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Closed
- No weekly closing day
verifyingi
From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Concessions
- Free for children under 1.4 m and visitors 65+ with ID (unofficial)
verifyingi
From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Metro
- Xiaoshizi (小什字), Lines 1 and 6, Exit 6 — about 5 minutes' walk
verifyingi
From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Payment
- Alipay or WeChat Pay with a linked foreign card, or cash in yuan
verifyingi
From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Address
- 7 Luohansi Street, off Minzu Road, Yuzhong District (罗汉寺街7号)
- Time needed
- About 45 minutes; an hour if you linger in the arhat hall
- Dress
- Shoulders and knees covered — it's a working temple
Key facts
1064–1067the Zhiping era of the Song dynasty, when the temple was founded as Zhiping Temple
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English and Chinese Wikipedia524clay statues in the arhat hall, traditionally called the Hall of 500 Arhats
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English, Chinese and Russian Wikipedia400+Buddhist figures on the Ancient Buddha Cliff at the entrance, Song-dynasty work over 20 m long
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Chinese WikipediaChinatripedia1885Abbot Longfa installed 500 arhats, and the temple became known as Luohan Si
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English and Chinese Wikipedia1983named a National Key Buddhist Temple in Han Chinese areas
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English and Chinese Wikipedia1986the present arhat hall was built; its statues are modern
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English WikipediaEastChinaTrip1947the present Mahavira Hall was built
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English WikipediaXinduthe 1885 arhat hall was modelled on Baoguang Monastery near Chengdu
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Chinese WikipediaMyanmarsource of the jade Buddha in the main hall, beside a Ming bronze triad
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Chinese WikipediaChinatripedia2000the cliff carvings were listed as a protected Chongqing heritage site
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Chinese WikipediaLuohan Temple tickets and opening hours
A ticket costs ¥20, according to Trip.com, EastChinaTrip and Chinatripedia, and it includes three incense sticks and a lotus-shaped candle that you collect at the gate — no need to buy your own. Tickets are sold only at the temple's own counter. EastChinaTrip says there's no student discount, while visitors aged 65+ with ID and children under 1.4 m go free (unofficial).
Hours change with the season. Trip.com and EastChinaTrip both list 8 October to 30 April as 8:00–17:30 with ticket sales and last entry at 16:50, and 1 May to 7 October as 8:00–18:00 with last entry at 17:20. Chinatripedia simply gives 8:00–17:00. We couldn't find an official page, so treat all of this as unofficial and arrive by mid-afternoon.
There's no weekly closing day. Staff start ushering people out about 20 minutes before closing, and Buddhist festivals and Chinese New Year bring big crowds.
How to get to Luohan Temple
Tap a route to highlight it on the map.
Where are you starting from?
We’ll draw it on the map on foot and by taxi; metro and buses open in your maps app. Your location isn’t stored.
On foot
- Hongyadong is about 12 min away on foot.
- Jiefangbei is about 11 min away on foot.
More tips
- From the Jiefangbei monument, walk north-east along Minzu Road (民族路) — 10–15 minutes; Luohansi Street turns off it on the way to Xiaoshizi.
- By metro: Line 1 or Line 6 to Xiaoshizi (小什字). From Jiefangbei, Line 1 from Jiaochangkou is just one stop.
- At Xiaoshizi use Exit 6 (on the Line 6 concourse, linked to Line 1 by a transfer passage), then follow the signs for 罗汉寺 — about 5 minutes on foot.
- On Line 2, get off at Linjiangmen, Exit 3, and walk through Jiefangbei.
- From Jiangbei Airport (CKG): Line 10 from Terminal 2 or 3 to Qixinggang, then Line 1 towards Chaotianmen — two stops to Xiaoshizi.
- By taxi or DiDi, show the driver 罗汉寺 or the address 罗汉寺街7号. DiDi runs in English inside Alipay and charges your linked foreign card.
What to see at Luohan Temple
- Ancient Buddha Cliff (古佛崖) — the entrance corridor: over 400 Song-dynasty figures carved along more than 20 m of rock, including a reclining Buddha and Guanyin.
- Hall of Heavenly Kings — the first hall inside the gate, with the guardians of the four directions.
- Mahavira Hall (大雄宝殿) — Shakyamuni, sixteen arhats along the walls, a Ming bronze triad of the Western Three Saints and a jade Buddha from Myanmar.
- Arhat Hall (罗汉堂) — 524 painted, life-size clay figures set out in a maze of aisles.
- Sutra library — scriptures in Chinese, Sanskrit and Tibetan; not always open to visitors.
- Ming stele pavilion — a stone tablet inscribed “西湖古迹”.
- The courtyards — red ribbons on the trees, candles and incense smoke rising against the skyscrapers.
The Hall of 500 Arhats
This is what most people come for. Wikipedia counts 524 clay statues, though the hall keeps its traditional name of the Five Hundred Arhats. The figures are life-size and brightly painted, each with its own face — laughing, scowling, lost in thought, one riding a dragon, another taming a tiger — and you walk between them in dim, narrow aisles.
Arhats (luohan) are disciples of the Buddha who reached enlightenment. A popular custom is to count the arhats: start at any statue and count along the rows, and the figure where you stop is said to hint at your fortune. Some visitors toss coins to the statues. It's folk tradition, not a required ritual.
Photography is not allowed inside the hall, according to unofficial sources — watch for the signs. The statues are modern (the hall dates from 1986) but follow the style of the Qing-era set that Abbot Longfa modelled on Baoguang Monastery near Chengdu in 1885.
Is Luohan Temple worth visiting?
Yes, if you're already around Jiefangbei: it's ten minutes away, cheap, and in 45 minutes you get the arhat hall, Song carvings and a working temple full of incense. It's the easiest way to add something older than neon and hot pot to a day in central Chongqing.
It isn't worth crossing the city for, especially if you're heading to the Dazu Rock Carvings, which are far larger and older. It works best as a morning stop before the Yangtze River Cableway and an evening at Hongyadong.
Where is Luohan Temple? Address and map
The temple is at 7 Luohansi Street (罗汉寺街7号), Yuzhong District, a short lane off Minzu Road (民族路) — which is why older sources give Minzu Road as the address. It sits halfway between the Jiefangbei monument and Xiaoshizi metro station.
It's easy to miss: tower blocks hide it from above and the gate opens onto a narrow street. Google Maps doesn't work in China without roaming or a VPN, so download an offline map of Chongqing in advance, and keep the characters 罗汉寺 handy for taxi drivers, few of whom read English. The Yangtze waterfront is a few minutes downhill from the gate.
Is there a vegetarian restaurant?
The Temple Guy, writing about a 2012 visit, describes a vegetarian restaurant right by the entrance corridor, next to the Hall of Heavenly Kings. EastChinaTrip still lists a Miaoxiang vegetarian restaurant among the temple's buildings, but without hours or a menu, and we found no other recent confirmation.
We couldn't confirm a restaurant operating inside today, so don't plan lunch around it. Jiefangbei has endless noodle shops and hot pot places within five minutes' walk. If you want Buddhist food — no meat, onion or garlic — ask at the gate for “suzhai” (素斋).
A short history
According to English Wikipedia, the monk Zuyue founded the temple in the Zhiping era (1064–1067) of the Northern Song and named it after the reign title, Zhiping Temple. Chinese Wikipedia adds that it stood beside an arhat cave, and that the carvings on the neighbouring cliff date from the same Song period; their style is often compared with Dazu's.
It was enlarged under the Ming and renovated several times under the Qing. In 1885 Abbot Longfa installed 500 clay arhats modelled on Baoguang Monastery in Xindu, and the temple has been called Luohan Si ever since.
Most of what stands today was rebuilt in the 20th century: the Mahavira Hall and sutra library in 1947 and the arhat hall, with new statues, in 1986; the temple reopened to visitors in 1984. It was named a National Key Buddhist Temple in 1983, and the cliff carvings became a protected Chongqing heritage site in 2000.
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Chongqing's historic sights compared
Every historic sight in Chongqing rated by YesGo. Tap a column heading to sort.
| Shibati | 43 | 1 h | Free | 21 min walk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luohan Templeyou are here | 38 | 45 min | ¥20, incense included | — |
| Eling Park | 38 | 1 h 15 min | Free | 4.3 km |
| Yangtze River Cableway | 38 | 45 min | ¥30 one way, ¥50 return | 16 min walk |
| Three Gorges Museum | 38 | 2 h | Free | 3.0 km |
| Dazu Rock Carvings | 21 | 3 h | ¥115; with Beishan ¥140 | 78.7 km |
Central Chongqing in half a day
Jiefangbei in the morning, then Luohan Temple, the Yangtze River Cableway and Hongyadong lit up after dark. Add them to your route — YesGo fits in the timing and transfers.
- Jiefangbei30 min · Free, open 24 hours
- 10 min walk from the previous stopLuohan Templeyou are here45 min · ¥20, incense included
- 16 min walk from the previous stopYangtze River Cableway45 min · ¥30 one way, ¥50 return
- 24 min walk from the previous stopHongyadong1 h 30 min · Free
4 places · about 4 h 20 min with walks · 50 min on foot in total
Nearby — add to your day
How to do it right
- Arrive before 16:50 in winter or 17:20 in summer — the ticket counter stops selling after that.
- Incense comes with the ticket; extra candles are optional.
- Start with the Ancient Buddha Cliff at the entrance — the Song carvings are the oldest thing here.
- Respect the no-photo signs in the arhat hall; staff do check.
- Pair it with a walk: Jiefangbei is 10–15 minutes away and the Yangtze River Cableway is near Xiaoshizi.
- Keep 罗汉寺 and 罗汉寺街7号 on your phone — few taxi drivers read English.
- Plan lunch around Jiefangbei: we couldn't confirm a restaurant inside the temple.
Questions
How much is the Luohan Temple ticket?
¥20, including three incense sticks and a lotus candle. Visitors 65+ and children under 1.4 m reportedly go free (unofficial).
What are Luohan Temple's opening hours?
8 October–30 April: 8:00–17:30, last entry 16:50; 1 May–7 October: 8:00–18:00, last entry 17:20. These are unofficial figures.
How do I get to Luohan Temple by metro?
Take Line 1 or Line 6 to Xiaoshizi, use Exit 6 and walk about 5 minutes. From Jiefangbei it's a 10–15-minute walk along Minzu Road.
What is the address of Luohan Temple?
7 Luohansi Street, Yuzhong District, Chongqing (重庆市渝中区罗汉寺街7号), just off Minzu Road.
Is Luohan Temple worth visiting?
Yes as a short stop near Jiefangbei for the arhat hall and Song carvings; not worth a special trip if you're going to Dazu.
How long do you need at Luohan Temple?
About 45 minutes; an hour if you take your time in the arhat hall.
How many arhats are there?
Wikipedia counts 524 clay statues, though the hall is traditionally called the Hall of 500 Arhats.
Can I take photos inside?
In the courtyard and at the cliff carvings, yes. Inside the arhat hall and at the altars photography is reportedly banned.
Is Luohan Temple open on Mondays?
Yes, there's no weekly closing day.
Can I pay with a foreign card?
Not directly at most counters. Link your Visa or Mastercard to Alipay or WeChat Pay, or bring cash in yuan.
Have you been? Was it worth your time?
1 — no, 5 — absolutely
Your vote counts towards the YesGo score.
Sources and fact-check
- English Wikipedia: Luohan Temple (Chongqing) — founding, 1885, halls of 1947 and 1986, 524 statues, 1983 status
- Chinese Wikipedia: 罗汉寺 (重庆市) — Ancient Buddha Cliff (400+ figures, over 20 m), Baoguang model, main hall, heritage listings
- Russian Wikipedia: Храм архатов — Minzu Road, 524 statues; Wikidata Q653217
- English Wikipedia: Xiaoshizi station, Line 1 and Line 10 (Chongqing Rail Transit), Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport — lines and transfers
- Trip.com / Ctrip listing (seen in search excerpts): address, seasonal hours, ¥20
- EastChinaTrip: ¥20 with incense and candle, seasonal hours, concessions, Exit 6, about 5 minutes' walk
- Chinatripedia, Arhat Temple, Chongqing: ¥20, address, metro exits, cliff carvings, main hall
- The Temple Guy (2012 visit): vegetarian restaurant by the entrance, the carved corridor
- YesGo's China notes: paying with foreign cards, DiDi, internet access
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