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Lingyin Temple

The Lingyin Temple is Hangzhou's most famous site, aside from the West Lake. This ancient temple was built in 326AD during the Jin Dynasty but the temple at the site now has been restored sixteen times. The buildings you see today are restorations made during the Qing dynasty.

The Temple itself is one of the most famous Buddhist temples in the whole of China. The Indian Monk Huili, thought Hangzhou so beautiful that he believed this must be a place that gods live. Hence, he founded this temple in honor of the beauty and spiritual richness of the place, and named it "The place where gods rest in seclusion" or Lingjin. This is a huge place so it's best to just pick a few of the more interesting areas to look at. On entering the Temple, tun left and you will be confronted with huge stone statues that are reproductions of famous Buddhist statues located all over China such as the Buddha at Leshan. Slightly behind the Temples in the woods up here are a lovely collection of stone carved Buddha who sit in the niches of the cliffs. The most impressive of these is a huge, fat "Laughing Buddha". In the Temples themselves are various gold statues of Buddha, posing in different positions and adopting a warrior stance. Behind the largest gold Buddha is a collection of delightful figures and deities, carved into a huge piece of wood. The Temple is filled with incredible statues and monuments to Buddha- laughing, standing and sitting!

This place is usually mobbed with tourists so try and go early in the day or late afternoon when there are less people here. You should allow at least a couple of hours to do this place real justice. There is a nice vegetarian restaurant next to the Temple, The Lingyin Si Vegetarian.

Opening hours: Daily 7am-5pm.
Cost:The ticket for the grounds alone costs RMB20 and the Temple ticket is another is RMB15.
How to get there:Take bus No.7 from Yuefei Mu or from the railway station.