A great place to visit around Hangzhou: 2 days to explore Lin'an West Tianmu Mountain
Preface
"Only the gentle breeze on the river and the bright moon in the mountains, when heard by the ear, become sound, when seen by the eye, become color. There is no restriction on taking them, and their use is inexhaustible. They are the endless treasure of the Creator."
After a busy week at work, do you urgently need to find a place to relax and heal your eyes with your children? Then Lin'an Xitianmu Mountain can definitely be included in your first choice plan. It is only 1.5 hours' drive from Hangzhou, and you are guaranteed to feel comfortable after visiting it.
Go to the real nature, embrace the forest, listen to the insects, feel the breeze, and enjoy the tranquility of the moment.
2-day leisure itinerary recommendation
DAY1
Hangzhou ⇢ Xitianmu Mountain Chanyuan Temple ⇢ Stay at Shangketang Zen Hotel next to the ancient temple ⇢ Lunch at Shicaoji ⇢ Liupin Tiantian Ceramics Museum ⇢ Scenic shuttle bus up the mountain ⇢ Dashuwang Scenic Area ⇢ Scenic shuttle bus down the mountain ⇢ Dinner at Shicaoji
DAY2
Chanyuan Temple ⇢ Moon Bridge Village Rose Manor and Picking Garden ⇢ Hangzhou
Tianmu Mountain
Tianmu Mountain is located in the north of Lin'an City, Hangzhou. It got its name because there is a pool on the top of the east and west peaks, which looks like a pair of eyes looking up at the sky.
Tianmu Mountain has ancient geology and intact vegetation. There are groups of ancient Metasequoia glyptostroboides trees that are deep and vigorous. Among them, there are more than 20 trees that are over 1,000 years old. It is famous for its "big trees that are famous throughout the country". It is a famous nature reserve in my country and the only nature reserve in Zhejiang Province that has joined the International Biosphere Reserve Network.
The mountain was formed during the Yanshan Period 150 million years ago and is part of the "Jiangnan Ancient Land". Its unique landforms and complex topography have earned it the title of "a typical ancient glacial site in East China". With its steep cliffs, numerous strange rocks, numerous canyons, and beautiful natural landscapes, it is considered one of the "Wonderful Mountains of Jiangnan".
There are four streams, five pools, six caves, seven streams, eight platforms, nine pools, twelve rocks, twenty-seven stones and twenty-eight peaks. It has been a famous religious mountain since ancient times.
There is an ancient ginkgo tree known as the "Five Generations Under One Roof". It is over 12,000 years old and is the oldest known ginkgo tree in the world. It is the well-deserved "Ancestor of the World's Ginkgo".
How to get there?
🚗Self-driving
(Directly locate Chanyuan Temple), which can be reached in 1.5 hours from Hangzhou;
🚌Bus
A Hangzhou West Bus Station - West Tianmu Mountain:
Departure time: 14:20 (1 bus per day)
Driving time: about 90 minutes
B Hangzhou West Bus Station - Yuqian - West Tianmu
1. Hangzhou West Bus Station - Yuqian:
Bus: Departure time: 6:10-18:00 Travel time: 80 minutes, every 20 minutes
2. Yuqian-Xitianmu:
Minibus: Departure time: 6:10-16:10 Travel time: 45 minutes, every 40 minutes
C Hangzhou West Bus Station - Lin'an - Xitianmu:
1. Hangzhou West Bus Station - Lin'an:
Bus: Departure time: 6:20-18:00 Travel time: 55 minutes, every 20 minutes
2. Lin'an - Xitianmu: about 40 minutes
Accommodation recommendations
🏨Hotel: Shangketang Zen Hotel
💰Price: around ¥300 per person
The hotel is located at the foot of the scenic area, nestled in the mountains, with a quiet environment and lush greenery around it. It is right next to Chanyuan Temple. The architectural style of the entire hotel is integrated with Chanyuan Temple, and you can directly see the scenes inside the temple from the room.
The hotel is very close to nearby tourist attractions, including Liupinsan Tianmu Ceramics Museum and Tianmu Scenic Area. It is also very convenient to take the scenic bus to the scenic area.
Food recommendations
🍽Eat: Shicaoji (formerly Dashutang), Tianmu Canteen, Huanzhushanfang, and Kaishan Laodian are known as the four major food spots in Tianmu Mountain.
💰Price: around ¥80 per person
The tea restaurant, surrounded by hundreds of years old trees, is right next to Chanyuan Temple and the hotel. It is very convenient for dining. Although it is called Herbivore, it also has meat dishes. It mainly serves Jiangsu and Zhejiang cuisine with fresh ingredients. It is a bit expensive in the scenic area, but the taste is still good.
You can eat inside or outside, with a terrace overlooking the forest. On a nice day, you can enjoy the view while dining amidst towering trees and the chirping of birds and cicadas. The environment and the food complement each other perfectly.
Main attractions
Chanyuan Temple
🎫Tickets: 20/person
⏱Opening hours: 7:30-17:00
Recommended playing time: 1 hour
After the Song Dynasty, Tianmu Mountain, recognized as one of the Five Great Mountains of Buddhism, flourished as a sacred site for Zen Buddhism. Buddhist monks from East and Southeast Asia flocked to the area to study and practice Zen, particularly from Japan, who considered it the "place of revival" for their country's Rinzai school. With its tranquil mountain paths, towering ancient cypresses, and picturesque scenery, Emperor Qianlong visited the area twice during his southern tours.
The scenery around Chanyuan Temple is also stunning. Beside the temple lies a turquoise pond, which, on clear days, reflects the surrounding ancient trees and the temple's pagoda. It's like stumbling into a Hayao Miyazaki anime world, becoming a lost child, willing to find your way even if you can't.
Tianmu Scenic Spot
🎫Tickets: Free
⏱Opening hours: No time limit
Recommended play time: 0.5 hours
This attraction is located next to the ancient temple, in a small park that looks a bit like the scene in Spirited Away. The park is very quiet, with streams, small ponds, and pavilions. It is a good place to escape the heat in the summer. It is recommended to visit it in the evening when you come down from the scenic area.
PS: Be sure to prepare insect repellent in the summer
Liu Pintian Tianmu Ceramics Museum
🎫Tickets: Free
Recommended play time: 0.5 hours
Walk down about 200 meters along the road at the entrance of Chanyuan Temple and you will see it.
This museum is the Liu Pinsan Tianmu Ceramics Museum, jointly founded by Mr. Liu Pinsan, the representative inheritor of Jizhou Kiln ceramic firing techniques, and Zhejiang Dahua Group, the operating unit of Tianmu Kiln. The collection in the museum is the masterpiece of Mr. Liu's lifelong creation, totaling more than 200 pieces.
Each piece of exquisite Tianmu porcelain has unique patterns and is endowed with the soul of art through the tempering of kiln fire.
According to historical records, during the Northern Song Dynasty, Japanese monks who studied Buddhism at Jingshan Temple in Tianmu Mountain brought back the black-glazed tea bowl "Yaobian Tianmuzhan" fired in Jian Kiln when they returned to Japan. Since then, Tianmuzhan has been regarded as a treasure by the Japanese, and all black-glazed porcelain is called "Tianmu".
There is also a handcraft experience hall nearby, where tourists with children can experience plant printing and dyeing, tree ring painting, and personally experience the fun of making pottery.
Dashuwang Scenic Area
Tips:
🚌Scenic bus ticket: 40 round trip/person, 20 one way/person
Ticket price: 116/person
(Those under 1.20 meters tall are free of charge; active military personnel, provincial and ministerial model workers, persons with disabilities, and those aged 70 and above; children aged 1.20-1.50 (inclusive) are half price)
⏱Opening hours: 8:00-16:00
Recommended play time: 3 hours
After lunch, you can go up the mountain from Chanyuan Temple and drive about 280 bends to reach the scenic area at the top of Xitianmu Mountain. The name is simple and easy to understand, it is called "Kingdom of Big Trees".
The trees here are mostly ancient, large, tall, and numerous. Several routes offer gentle treks within the scenic area, with the exception of the steeper routes to Simian Peak and Yitiantian. Signposts are also readily available along the way. Tianmu Mountain's ancient paths offer a unique charm, with their staggered, moss-covered bluestone steps. A complete walk through the scenic area takes about five hours.
Recommended route (leisure small loop)
1: Get on and off the bus, the tour lasts about 2 hours:
Longfengjian parking lot - wooden plank road - Simian Peak - upside-down lotus - five generations living under one roof - big tree king - Kaishan old temple - half moon pool - Longfengjian parking lot;
Other routes:
1: Get on and off the bus, the tour lasts about 3 hours:
Longfengjian parking lot - wooden plank road - Simian Peak - Upside-down Lotus - Five Generations Under One Roof - Red Snake Cave - Shizikou - Zhanggongshe - Big Tree King - Kaishan Old Temple - Half Moon Pond - Longfengjian parking lot;
2: Get on and off by car, the tour lasts about 4 hours:
Longfengjian parking lot - wooden plank road - Simian Peak - Upside-down Lotus - Five Generations Under One Roof - Founding Temple - Big Tree King - Zhanggongshe - Shizikou - Fuhu Waterfall - Wuli Pavilion - Yili Pavilion - mountain gate;
3: Get on and off the bus on foot, the tour lasts about 5 hours:
Enter the mountain gate - Yili Pavilion - Wuli Pavilion - Fuhu Waterfall - Shizikou - Zhanggongshe - Big Tree King - Founding Temple - Five Generations Living Under One Roof - Upside-down Lotus - Simian Peak - Wooden plank road - Longfengjian parking lot.
Main attractions:
1. Simian Peak
It was called Wangjiangtai in ancient times. It is connected to Yulonggang in the north and faces deep valleys on three sides. It is the best viewing platform on the mountain. Shen Meng's "Travels to Tianmu" in the Ming Dynasty said that the four-sided peak is "deep, profound, secluded, quiet, strange and beautiful. It was called Penglai Fairy Island in ancient times. It is truly worthy of the name. This is the most amazing place in Tianmu." There is a pavilion named Liyu Pavilion. Standing in the pavilion, you can have a panoramic view of the whole mountain.
2. Upside-down lotus
Also known as the Lotus Terrace, it features a green rock peak that appears to have been split open by an axe. Atop this peak lies a square platform, surrounded by towering stalagmites several feet high. Five separate stone pillars, each supporting a lotus flower, stand tall. Legend has it that during the Yuan Dynasty, monk Gaofeng, seeking to conquer sleep, meditated on the peak for three days and nights. Exhausted, he fell, and the mountain tilted over, supporting him. This gave the peak its name. On the platform, the "Western Temple" once stood, and later, the "Cloud-Piercing Pavilion" was built.
3. Five generations living under one roof
Located below the Kaishan Temple, this tree is the ancestor of the world's ginkgo trees. The inscription on the stele records that the tree is 12,000 years old. There are more than 20 young trees of different sizes sprouting around it, forming a large family of "five generations living under one roof", hence the name.
4. Big Tree King
Named the "Big Tree King" by Emperor Qianlong himself, it's over 2,000 years old and reaches a diameter of over 2 meters. Sadly, due to human damage and environmental influences, the "Big Tree King" died in the 1930s. However, over 70 years after its death, the "Big Tree King" still stands proudly, with a lush new branch sprouting from its dead trunk. Cryptomeria fortunei No. 141, located to the upper right of the "Big Tree King," is widely recognized as the new Big Tree King of Tianmu Mountain.
5. Founding Temple
The official name of the original temple is Shizi Zhengzong Zen Temple, which was built in 1275 AD during the Yuan Dynasty. It is the former site of the Zenyuan Temple at the foot of the mountain.
Walking on the ancient trail in the scenic area, it feels like being in a small forest in an animation. The sunlight shines through the gaps in the trees, which is slightly warm and pleasant.
Moon Bridge Village
Recommended play time: half a day
To be precise, Yueliangqiao Village is not a tourist attraction. The village is located on the southern foot of Tianmu Mountain. It is embedded in the only way to the Tianmu Mountain Scenic Area. It is like a lovely crescent moon shining brightly, adding infinite poetic and picturesque beauty to this green landscape.
"When you reach the Moon Bridge, you've reached Tianmu Mountain." This quiet village has become a must-see for travelers visiting Tianmu Mountain. The village now boasts a rose garden and a fruit picking area (strawberries, kiwis, and more). On your return trip from Tianmu Mountain the next day, explore the village, pick some fruit, and have a meal before returning to Hangzhou.
Conclusion
Green is a color full of healing. Tianmu Mountain is filled with green. Those moments of close contact and embrace with nature have a fresh and romantic flavor that heals the complexity and troubles in life.
