Zen Retreat at Lingyin Temple

Since ancient times, Hangzhou has been renowned as “the Buddhist Heaven of the Southeast”. Among the many temples in Hangzhou, Lingyin Temple is definitely the most famous one and it’s also the earliest and biggest. In addition, it's one of “the Top Ten Zen Buddhist Temples of China".

Situated at the west end of the West Lake, the temple is confronted with the well-known Peak Flying from Afar (飞来峰, famous for its grotto carvings) and backed by Northern Peak (北高峰). Lingyin Temple was founded in 328 AD during the Eastern Jin Dynasty by an Indian monk called Hui Li. Since its construction, it has been restored fourteen times. The present temple mainly has three halls, the Hall of the Heavenly Kings (天王殿), the Grand Hall of the Great Sage (大雄宝殿), Hall of the Medicine Buddha (药王殿).

There are stone pagodas on the east and west sides of the terrace in front of the Grand Hall of the Great Sage. The stone pagodas are exquisitely carved. A closer look reveals more than a hundred paintings of Buddhism figures carved into the pagoda. The two stone pagodas were originally built in the first year of Jianlong in the Northern Song Dynasty (960 AD) and are one of the oldest surviving stone pagodas from the Northern Song Dynasty. They were erected during the reconstruction of Lingyin Temple by Qian Hongchu, King of Wuyue. The two stone pagodas, dating back more than a thousand years, are the oldest relics at Lingyin Temple.

Directly facing the well-known Lingyin temple stands a hill peculiarly named the Peak Flying from Afar (Feilai Peak). The 168-meter-high peak is covered with odd-shaped rocks and green woods, and a stream meanders along its foot. The hill is composed of limestone and distinguishes itself exceedingly from the neighboring mountains. It's said that when the Indian monk Hui Li, founder of Lingyin Temple, saw the spot, he claimed, "It's a portion of Mount Grahrakuta. Why has it flown here?" Hence, it's named "Peak Flying from Afar". Dotted inside its caves and along its steep slopes above the stream are 345-odd stone carvings dating from the Five Dynasties, the Song, and the Yuan dynasties. The most precious of these stone carvings are those Tibetan Buddhism (Lamaism) stone statues from the Yuan Dynasty, which can be called the gem of the grotto statuary in the country.  

Lingyin Temple is considered as the retreat of soul and is world-famous for its countless pilgrims. If you want to learn more about Buddhism, and meanwhile earn some luck, Lingyin Temple is the place you definitely don’t want to miss.

Opening Hours: 07:00-18:15

Address: 1 Fayun Lane, Lingyin Road, Xihu District

Telephone: +86 571 87977767