Covering a land area of over 32,000 square meters and a construction area of 17,000 square meters, Guanghua Temple, a famous ancient temple in Middle Fujian, is located at the foot of Mountain Phoenix, which is about one kilometer to the southwest of Putian.
The central axis of the main building extends 385 meters from east to west and from the altitude of 25m to the altitude of 63m. It also passes through the screen wall, the archway, the temple gate, the free life pond, the Heavenly King Palace, the Grand Hall, the Dharma Hall (with sutra depository) and the Sakyamuni Palace (with the Reclining Buddha). There is an 8-meter tall image of Goddess of Mercy enshrined in the left wing pavilion, while the image of Ksitigarbha is enshrined in the right wing pavilion. There are also five hundred Arhats images in the Hall of Arhats on both side of the Free Life Pond. As the main building of the temple, the Grand Hall is enshrined with three statues of Buddha, with a 5.8-meter tall statue of Sakyamuni Buddha in the middle, the tallest statue in Fujian Province.
As a cultural relic under state protection, the Sakya Pagoda is situated on the east side of Guanghua Temple. With a total height of 30.6 meters, the pentagonal 8-tier pagoda was built in imitation of wooden pavilions, with a hollow inside and coffering ceiling. The stone steps inside allow visitors to walk to the outside balcony of each tier.
