Live Your Best Lives
"Four hundred and eighty temples of the Southern Dynasties, countless pavilions shrouded in mist and rain." The magnificent scenery of Southeastern Buddhism can still be seen in Hangzhou today. Besides West Lake, Hangzhou also offers other temples worth visiting, offering a unique blend of scenery and culture. Some are nestled in the bustling city, some are hidden in the mountains, some are bustling with tourists, and some are tranquil and elegant. Based on my personal experience, I've compiled the following eight temples—collect them and go on a quest!
If you travel to Hangzhou, there are two super landmarks that you must not miss - West Lake and Lingyin Temple.
As a world-renowned temple in Southeastern Buddhism, Lingyin Temple is bustling with pilgrims and tourists daily. The Lingyin Temple area is vast, divided into two main sections: Lingyin Temple and Feilai Peak. First-time visitors might find it hard to tell which is which. This article will share a step-by-step guide to Lingyin Temple.
Tickets
The tickets for the Lingyin Temple scenic area are divided into two parts:
1. Purchase a 45-yuan Feilai Peak ticket at the scenic spot ticket office. After passing the screen wall of Zhichi Xitian, you can see the plaque of Lingyin Temple. The ticket entrance is here.
2. Then go to the ticket office at the entrance of Lingyin Temple to buy a 30-yuan incense voucher.
Recommended highlights
NO.1. Feilai Peak
Behind the 345 statues here lies the evolutionary history of Buddhism in Hangzhou, and behind each statue there is a rich history and story worth telling.
The statues of the Northern Song Dynasty are simple and clumsy, the statues of the Southern Song Dynasty are lively and romantic, and the statues of the Yuan Dynasty are uniquely elegant and majestic.
NO2. Cold Spring Pavilion
The couplet here is very clever: the spring becomes cold from when it was cold, and the peak comes from when it flew.
NO3. Lingyin Temple
The temple's architecture exudes the grandeur and beauty of classical architecture, especially Lingyin Temple. You can walk along the central axis to fully experience this ancient temple, which is popular with many people.
Tips:
Recommended visiting time: about 3 hours
Tickets: Feilai Peak 45 yuan + Lingyin Temple 30 yuan
Reservation: Reservation is required in advance
Vegetarian food: The vegetarian noodle shop inside the temple is temporarily closed due to the epidemic. We recommend the vegetarian restaurant outside the temple (Qingxin vegetarian buffet for 25 yuan)
Yongfu Temple, a thousand-year-old temple dating back to the Eastern Jin Dynasty, sits right next to Lingyin Temple, yet it has always been a low-key neighbor. Unlike Lingyin Temple's imposing architectural layout, Yongfu Temple resembles a hermit hidden in the mountains—its buildings appear to be barely visible beneath the vegetation.
Going up the steps, there is a gurgling stream beside the small pool with a wooden ladle for scooping a spoonful of refreshing mountain spring water. The vegetarian noodle restaurant at the entrance is also unique.
There is a tea field in the middle of the temple and further up is the Fuquan Tea House. This path is very artistic. Occasionally, monks pass by, and the pictures taken are very vivid.
Tips:
Tickets: The temple itself is free, but because it is inside Feilai Peak, you must first buy a Feilai Peak ticket for 45 yuan
Recommended visiting time: about 45 minutes
Reservation: You can make an appointment at Feilai Peak, no separate reservation is required
Vegetarian food: Fuquan vegetarian noodle restaurant in the temple is open as usual
Hangzhou's internet-famous Faxi Temple has to be on this list. Beyond its efficaciousness, the temple's architecture is also breathtakingly beautiful. I've been there at least 10 times, and the interplay of light and shadow on sunny days and the rising mist on rainy days are truly captivating.
Coming out of Fayun Ancient Village, you'll find a bamboo forest on either side. Turn left at the fork in the road and climb the steps up to Faxi Temple, which gives you a sense of sudden enlightenment. In autumn, when the ginkgo trees turn yellow, the scenery is even more stunning. Hangzhou truly offers surprises in every season.
The buildings built along the mountain are magnificent and the amulets are very cute. I personally think it is a bit expensive (but it depends on personal preference), and the vegetarian meal for 5 yuan is also worth experiencing.
Among the three Tianzhu temples in Hangzhou, there are Upper Tianzhu Faxi Temple, Middle Tianzhu Fajing Temple, and Lower Tianzhu Fajing Temple. Among them, Faxi Temple is well-known, but the secluded and quiet Fajing Temple is more prominent.
Fajing Temple is the only free temple among the three Tianzhu temples. Although small in scale, it is equally exquisite in details. Surrounded by gurgling streams and lush bamboo forests, it feels like "living in a human world, without the noise of carriages and horses."
I happened to catch a Buddhist ceremony finishing up and was able to capture a few pictures of monks walking around. The biggest difference between Fajing Temple and the crowded Lingyin Temple and Faxi Temple is that there are more monks than tourists.
I really like visiting temples alone, observing the mottled light and shadows of the upturned eaves, and the interlocking arches.
Tips:
Admission: Free
Recommended visiting time: about 30 minutes
Reservation: There are few people, and it is still possible to make an appointment on site
Vegetarian: None
Hangzhou has always been known for its Zen and classical aesthetics, and is often called the Southeast Buddhist Kingdom. Temples are now scattered across the city, with the Lingyin Temple area being the most prominent.
Today I want to share more about the Lower Tianzhu Fajing Temple among the Three Tianzhu Temples. It is the only female temple in Hangzhou and the origin of the well-known "Three Lives, Three Worlds".
It’s about a 20-minute drive from downtown Hangzhou, but it feels like entering a time tunnel, with a wild and picturesque mountain scenery that is completely different from the skyscrapers.
Fajing Temple is surrounded by its own tea fields, where monks also work during the tea picking season, and the scenery is even better in the snowy winter.
The exterior of the temple has soft curved lines, making the whole building look cute.
It also served as the female dormitory for the Hangzhou Buddhist College. Behind the temple is the Three Lives Stone, a symbol of love spanning three lives, but its origin and meaning stem from the Buddhist concept of karma and reincarnation, encompassing past, present, and future lives. The terrace of the Three Lives Stone Teahouse offers a great view of the entire Fajing Temple.
Tips:
Tickets: 10 yuan, cash or ZFB
Recommended visiting time: about 30 minutes
Reservation: Reservation is required in advance
Vegetarian: None
Hangzhou is home to numerous temples, some hidden in the mountains, others nestled in the heart of the city. Jingci Temple, just across the road from Leifeng Pagoda, is one of the latter. Yes, the poem "Leaving Jingci Temple at Dawn to Send Off Lin Zifang" I've memorized since childhood is about this temple.
Besides their unique natural environment, Hangzhou's temples are also known for their architectural beauty. Ascending the stairs along the central axis, you'll experience a changing landscape, with upturned eaves and yellow walls nestled among the trees.
You can see Leifeng Pagoda from this angle when you go to the highest hall of Jingci Temple. Jingci Temple and Leifeng Pagoda complement each other perfectly. They are located on the bank of West Lake and separated by a road. You are worldly with the crowds of tourists, while I am pure and detached from the world with a Zen mind.
Tips:
Reservation: You need to make an appointment in advance on the Hangzhou Temple Visiting Reservation Platform
Tickets: 10 yuan per person for a flower voucher (can be paid in cash or by mobile phone). Show your health code at the entrance and enter.
Opening hours: 6:30-17:00
Hidden in a secret place west of West Lake, Huiyin Temple is very low-key and quiet, where you can leisurely appreciate and take photos.
This temple was very popular during the Song and Yuan dynasties. It was rebuilt and destroyed many times afterwards. The current building was rebuilt in 2007 with reference to ancient Goryeo patterns in the style of the Song Dynasty.
Because of this connection, there is also a Huiyin Academy space in the temple that focuses on the elegant life of the Song Dynasty.
The little stone lion at the entrance is a bit cute, holding a guide map, which adds a bit of elegance to this plain temple. The shadows of the trees are mottled in the sun, and there is a rustling sound in the ears when the wind blows.
Tips:
Admission: Free
Recommended visiting time: about 30 minutes
Reservation: No reservation required
Vegetarian: None
Unlike other temples hidden in the mountains, Xiangji Temple is very special - it is located in the downtown CBD, close to the hustle and bustle of the world. From certain angles inside the temple, you can see the collision of classical architecture and modern cement and reinforced concrete.
Unlike other temples that are all wooden structures, Xiangji Temple is a copper building. Even the rafters under the eaves are covered with copper. When the weather is good, the overall color is warm, which is perfect for taking pictures in Hanfu.
It was once the most famous temple in the Hushu area of the Grand Canal. It was a must-go place for Buddhist believers in the Hangzhou, Jiaxing and Huzhou areas to go from the canal to Lingyin and Tianzhu mountains for pilgrimage. It held a very high status in the Buddhist circles of the canal and Hangzhou.
Different from other temples, it is the only temple in China that enshrines the Bodhisattva of Supervising Fasts, which can be understood as the "God of Food".
Tips:
Ticket price: 20 yuan
Opening hours: 7:00-17:00
Recommended visiting time: about 40 minutes
Reservation: No reservation required
Vegetarian food: The temple is temporarily closed due to the epidemic. There is a self-service vegetarian restaurant outside the temple, Miao Daigo, which is 20 yuan per person and is also very good.
From the time we first met to my understanding, Hangzhou is a city with rich life aesthetics to me, and the temple trip is a microcosm and a perfect proof of it.
I recall a passage I've previously excerpted that perfectly captures this scene and artistic conception: "Drinking tea, meditating, admiring the moon, and touring West Lake are must-dos in Hangzhou. This is how the Ming Dynasty poet Zhang Dai enjoyed the lake: boarding a boat covered with a thin curtain, lighting a teapot, and using pure white tea sets. The boat was filled with close friends, with no family or servants. They would drift off until dawn, enveloped in the fragrance of lotus blossoms. This elegance has been transformed by Hangzhou residents into a four-season travel poem: in spring, exploring plum blossoms in Qingzhiwu, tasting tea at Hupao Spring, viewing new willows on Baidi Bridge, and peach blossoms at Sudi Bridge; in summer, enjoying the wind-blown lotuses at Quyuan, listening to the croaking of frogs and the chirping of cicadas; in autumn, appreciating the moon at Baoshishan Mountain and maple leaves at Wuyun Mountain; in winter, listening to Zen meditation at Tianzhu Mountain, listening to the bells at Nanping Mountain, and stepping into the snow at Lingyin Temple."
Elegant yet ordinary, this is the charm of Hangzhou.
