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Home > Travel China > China Attractions > Lingyin Temple
Lingyin Temple
China, an East Asian country is one of the world’s oldest civilizations. It has a vast cultural history of more than five thousand years and an outstanding natural beauty. On the other hand, this country has remained a comparatively isolated and secluded one, and being a land of mystery, this country is not known to the western half of the world. However, China is rapidly developing and has grown in the phase of modernization, with an immense speed and is also welcoming the outer world to interact and do business with them.
Lingyin or Soul's Retreat Temple is tucked away in a secluded valley northwest of West Lake, nine kilometers away from Hangzhou city proper. Built in 326, during the Eastern Jin Dynasty, who ruled China from 317 to 420, it ranks among China's most celebrated Buddhist temples still existing. In its heyday, the temple had nine towers, l8 pavilions and 75 halls, and housed as many as 3,000 monks. After recurrent reconstruction and neglect and damage through the ages, it now has only the Celestial Kings Hall and the Main Buddha Hall. The latter, is a 33.6 meter high, single-storey, multi-eaves ancient building. It contains a sitting statue of Sakyamuni which is 19.6 meters in height, including the carved aureola board at the back and the lotus seat which is the biggest such sculpture of wood still extant in China. On the wall in the rear of this hall is a colourful group-sculpture of 150 figures depicting the Buddhist story of Sudhana-Kumara visiting Avalokitesvara Budhisattva on an island. It is a work of a high artistic value.
Lengquan or Cool Spring Pavilion was built during the Tang Dynasty a thousand years ago, and rebuilt during the Ming Dynasty four hundred years ago, is an ideal summer resort where a spring flows with a rich whispering or murmuring sound.
China is a popular travel destination for visitors and globe trotters from all over the world who appreciate its beautiful landscapes, rich culture, delicious local cuisine, hospitality and safety. Quality is China's top priority.
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