The fire broke out at Wenchang Pavilion, located on Fenghuang Mountain in Zhangjiagang, on Wednesday morning. The three-story building was quickly swallowed by flames from the top down at around 11 a.m. local time, creating a massive scene that was seen across the area.
Officials later confirmed that, thankfully, no one was hurt in the blaze. Fire crews also managed to keep the flames from spreading into the thick forest that surrounds the mountain, which prevented the situation from becoming even more severe.
An investigation is already underway to determine exactly what caused the blaze. Early findings suggest that a visitor may have accidentally started the fire through improper use of candles and incense at the historic site, which is a common ritual for many visitors.
Authorities also confirmed that the pavilion, which was built in October 2009, did not house any cultural relics. That means no valuable or irreplaceable historical items were lost in the fire, despite the heavy damage to the structure itself.
After its completion, the building came under the management of the nearby Yongqing Temple. The original Yongning Temple, however, dates back more than 1,500 years and forms the deeper historical foundation of the site.
That first temple was constructed in 536 during the Southern Liang dynasty, marking the beginning of the area’s long connection to Buddhist history and culture.
Wenchang Pavilion itself held special meaning as the hermitage of Shi Nai’an during the late Yuan Dynasty. It is considered the place where he wrote Water Margin, one of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature.
The main temple seen today was rebuilt during the 1990s, adding a modern layer to its long and complex history.
This latest blaze comes only two years after another major fire tore through a centuries-old temple in China and nearly reduced the historic structure to ashes.
The Shandan Great Buddha Temple in Gansu province’s Shandan County suffered heavy damage during a fire in 2023, with its massive Buddha statue seen engulfed in flames as firefighters worked to control the scene.
