Huzhou Tiefo Temple | Half Bustle, Half Poetry and Distance

| Half bustle, half poetry and distance. Step into Tiefo Temple, where the fragrant sea of snow among ancient pines and cypresses is being swept over by crowds. The bluestone bricks are crowded with visitors in elegant attire, holding up their phones and cameras to capture the scene. The sound of chanting drifts through the air, mingling with the soft Wu dialect from all over. Some stand on tiptoe to smell the faint fragrance of the trembling branches, some hold their cameras to capture the beauty, some pray devoutly with hands scented by plum blossoms, and many others share their photos on social media—the hustle and bustle of the world condenses into the swirling blossoms captured in their lenses.

Suddenly, the chanting of Buddhist scriptures rings out, startling the plum blossoms under the eaves, causing them to flutter down like verses waiting to be written on the tiles. Those who come to admire the blossoms are seeking a touch of poetic inspiration amidst the mundane world, while those who linger can no longer distinguish whether they have come to find plum blossoms or to accept an invitation from the thousand-year-old misty rain that has condensed into the vermilion red on the branches.

Parking: Laodong Road Parking Lot, 5 yuan/hour
Note: Don't wait at the main gate if you arrive early, the back gate sometimes opens earlier.

Post by Daniel Brighton | Mar 2, 2025