The full name of the Monastery is the Light Everlasting Huazang Monastery. In legend, it is said that Pugong Monastery of the Eastern Han Dynasty originally built it as Puguang Hall or the Zudian Hall. Between the Tang and Song dynasties both Puguang and Guangxiang halls had a shared name called Guangxiang Monastery,which was considered as one of the six largest monasteries on Mt.Emei. At the beginning of Ming Dynasty,Bao Tan, the national Buddhist master refurbished the hall ,and its roof was covered with iron tiles. It became known as the Iron_tile Hall. During Wanli period of Ming Dynasty a copper hall was constructed behind the Iron_tile Hall.
The copper hall had a douoble_eaves roof, an engreved ridge,and delicately latticed tiny windows. Inside the hall sat Puxian in the center,surrounded by thousands of other Buddha figures. Right outside each corner of the hall was a copper pagoda,alloyed all with gold. Therefore, the pagodas shone so gloriously on the top of the mountain that the name of “golden summit”had circulted among the opeople. Zhu Yijun,one of the Ming emperors named the hall as the Light Everlasting Huazang Monastery. In 1854, Puxian on the elephant statue ws placed in the hall for worship. It was copper cast and presented by Dailai Lama from Tibet. However,disastrous fires destroyed Huazang Monastery several times. Reconstruction of the current monastery began in 1986. In 1990, it was completed and opened to the public.
