According to historical records, "Yuan Pu built a house and a temple with a base of 28 mu." In the fourth year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (14 13), the Zen master was resolutely appointed to rebuild, and it was abandoned more than a hundred years later. During the period of Chen Wu in Qin Long in the Ming Dynasty (1568), monk Yuan Wen and others rebuilt the temple, which took 18 years and cost a lot. On July 29th, the sixty-first year of Emperor Kangxi of Qing Dynasty (1722), a monk from southern Hunan conferred a post on Xianghai Temple. In July and October of the tenth year of Xianfeng in Qing Dynasty (1860), Puyuan was once again hit by war and the ancient temple was damaged.
In its heyday, Xianghai Temple, surrounded by streams, four corners of Longtan, dense temples and magnificent pavilions, is a famous temple in the south of the Yangtze River. The clock in the temple has traveled more than ten miles, so people live and work for it. Zen forest has attracted countless celebrities to visit the pavilion, poetry and painting. Zhao Mengfu, a great calligrapher, wrote the title beam for the Hall of the Great Hero, and the poet called Xianghai Temple: "The Hall of the Great Hero is a famous town, and Danti is empty." "There is no smoke in the clouds, and the bamboo trees are green." Shen Tao also wrote a poem saying: "Xianghai is a beautiful place and the law is far-sighted. The frost forest is surrounded by autumn colors, Piluge climbs high, and the mangrove and green hills are spires. " It serves to show the majestic appearance of ancient times.