Língyǐn Temple

Hángzhōu's most famous Buddhist temple, Língyǐn Temple was built in AD 326. Due to episodes of war and calamity, it has been destroyed and restored no fewer than 16 times.

The main temple buildings are restorations of Qing-dynasty structures. Behind the Hall of the Four Heavenly Guardians stands the Great Hall and a magnificent 20m-high statue of Siddhartha Gautama (Sakyamuni), sculpted from 24 blocks of camphor wood in 1956 and based on a Tang-dynasty original. Behind the giant statue is a startling montage of 150 small figures, which charts the journey of 53 children on the road to Buddhahood. During the time of the Five Dynasties (907–60) about 3000 monks lived in the temple.

The walk up to the temple skirts the flanks of Fēilái Peak (Fēilái Fēng; Peak Flying from Afar), magically transported here from India according to legend. The Buddhist carvings lining the riverbanks and hillsides, all 470 of them, date from the 10th to 14th centuries. To get a close-up view of the best carvings, including the famed 'laughing' Maitreya Buddha, follow the paths along the far (east) side of the stream.

Behind Língyǐn Temple is the Northern Peak (Běi Gāofēng), which can be scaled by cable car (up/down Y30/40). From the summit there are sweeping views across the lake and city.

Bus K7 and tourist bus Y2 (both from the train station), and tourist bus Y1 from the roads circling West Lake, go to the temple.