Day 1 Hangzhou → Jingshan → Hangzhou
All day
We met at Huanglong Seafood Stall at 8:00 AM and signed in.
We boarded the bus and departed at 8:30 AM. On the way, the team members introduced themselves to each other, played interactive games, and laughed and chatted all the way. Before we knew it, we were approaching our destination.
We arrived at the foot of Jingshan around 10:30. A stone tablet of the ancient road stood at the entrance to the mountain, guiding the way to Jingshan Temple. The ancients said: "A million steep pines are white on the two paths, and three thousand pavilions are cold on the five peaks." We started to climb the mountain along the stone road, shaded by bamboo forests, and dappled sunlight sprinkled on the mountains and forests. The ancient road extended through the mountains, leading us to the Jingshan Temple, which is more than 1,200 years old. There are many viewing platforms along the way for a short rest.
It takes about 50 minutes to reach Jingshan Temple. This ancient temple was built in 745, during the heyday of Buddhism, when Zen Master Faqin arrived in Jingshan and built a hermitage. In 768, Emperor Daizong of Tang, Li Yu, issued an imperial decree to build Jingshan Temple. The inscription "Jingshan Xingsheng Wanshou Zen Temple" was personally inscribed by Emperor Xiaozong of Song, Zhao Shen. Originally affiliated with the Niutou Sect, Jingshan Temple gained popularity in 1130, when the Linji Sect flourished. Its reputation grew, earning it the title of the "Five Mountains and Ten Temples of Jiangnan" (the "Five Mountains" refer to the five major monasteries of Jingshan, Lingyin, Jingci, Tiantong, and Ashoka).
During the Song, Yuan and Ming dynasties, famous Japanese monks came to the temple to study Zen. After returning to their country, they traveled around to promote the Linji school of Buddhism. At the same time, they also brought back Chinese tea classics and Jingshan tea utensils, and brought back tea-growing and tea-making techniques and tea banquet rituals to Japan, thus systematically introducing the "Jingshan Tea Banquet" and Chinese Zen temple tea ceremony to Japan. The tea banquet gradually evolved into the "Japanese Tea Ceremony" and became a ritual of the Japanese shogunate and high society.
Leaning on the railing, the gentle rain stops, and the pine trees rustle like waves. Jingshan Temple has experienced ups and downs over its 1,200-year history. Due to wars and disrepair, it was repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt, leaving little of the original structure. Only the bell tower remains, housing a large bell from the first year of the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty, three iron Buddhas from the Song Dynasty, and a stele commemorating the ancestors of the mountain from the Zhizheng reign of the Yuan Dynasty. It's a sad sight.
You can enter the temple on your own (tickets are 20-30 yuan per person) and pray for the fulfillment of your wishes and the safety of your family in 2025. We'll take a striking photo at the Nine Dragon Wall or under the large ginkgo tree. You can bring your own snacks or enjoy vegetarian food or noodles in the dining room (15-20 yuan per person), where you can chat and discuss everything from ancient times to the present.
Note: Due to local traffic construction, the back mountain has been changed to a cement road. If you mind, please register carefully.
After the afternoon rest, we started our route through the back mountain. Along the way, there were bamboo forests and terraced tea plantations. It was an easy walk and we passed by Jiulong Waterfall!
We soon arrived at the destination, where the bus had been waiting for a long time.
We arrived at the departure point in Hangzhou around 17:00. Everyone was still not satisfied and made an appointment to see each other on the next trip!
