The
pagodas were constructed in 982 AD The temple was originally called Banruo, then Luohan during the Five Dynasties, then the West Temple in the late 10th century and finally Dinghui at the end of 11th century. The temple burned down in the last years of the
Yuan dynasty and was rebuilt by the joint effort of four monks. It was destroyed again during the
Second Opium War in 1860.
Su Shi, a notable litterateur of the Song period, was a close friend of Shou Qin, the abbot of the
Dinghui Temple. After the former was banished to distant
Huizhou, Shou Qin sent him encouraging poems,
Ten Odes on Hansha, and personal letters from Su Shi's son Su Mai. Su Shi composed a response which was engraved on the temple walls during Ming times. ==References==