In the quiet northwest corner of a modern shipbuilding research institute in Wuchang, a unique structure stands surrounded by magnolia, jasmine, and pomegranate trees. This is the Relic Stupa of Master Taixu in Wuchang, built between 1947 and 1948. It remains a well‑preserved commemorative stupa of Master Taixu.

Born in 1890, Taixu spent his life reforming Chinese Buddhism. In 1922, he founded the Wuchang Buddhist Institute on this site. In 1935, supporters built a three‑room residence here called Chaoyin Maopeng to serve as his home and the editorial office for his journal, Haichao Yin. When Taixu passed away at the Jade Buddha Temple in Shanghai on March 17, 1947, his cremation yielded hundreds of colorful, crystal‑like sarira relics. His disciples, Fafang and Daxing, along with lay supporter Li Zikuan, carried one of the eight portions of these relics back to Wuchang. They placed them inside this stupa, directly in front of his old cottage.

The stupa’s design reflects Taixu’s ties with Sri Lankan Buddhism. Built with a brick‑and‑concrete frame, it follows the inverted‑bowl (or pagoda) style. It consists of a Xumi pedestal, a dome‑shaped body, thirteen ring‑wheels, and a gourd‑shaped finial. This distinctive form deliberately emulates the Theravada Buddhist stupas of Sri Lanka, honoring Taixu’s deep connections with that tradition.

Today, the stupa remains a quiet sanctuary. To find it, a visitor must navigate the residential compound of the 719 Research Institute on Zhangzhidong Road, looking through the narrow gap of a locked iron gate.Outside the walls, the hum of maritime engineering research continues; inside, the stupa enshrines the physical remnants of a monk who sought to bring ancient wisdom into the modern world.