#Tongxuansi Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in May)
Temples
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台州市天台縣天台山旅遊風景區
Mount Tiantai Spiritual Journey: Visiting Guoqing Temple and Surrounding Scenery
5A-rated scenic spot is surprisingly free of charge, and the vegetarian meal is only 2 yuan!
The monks cultivate the land by hand, with the seasons changing, yielding a full harvest...
This is the birthplace of the Tendai sect of Japanese Buddhism, with a long history.
Even if not for praying, just strolling around is enough to purify the soul!
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The atmosphere inside the temple naturally makes people lower their voices, not daring to make noise.
The farmlands around Guoqing Temple, the millennium-old Sui Dynasty pagoda in the distance,
The surviving deadwood and millennium Sui plum trees from the Sui Dynasty,
The bronze furnace from the Qianlong era,
The white marble lions guarding the entrance,
The authentic 'Goose' character stele inscription by Wang Xizhi,
The thousand-year-old Fenggan Bridge with its single-hole stone arch design,
And the iconic 'Ancient Sui Dynasty Temple' screen wall...
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Destination: Guoqing Temple
High-speed train station: 'Mount Tiantai' station
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Attached is a brief travel guide:
Depart from Mount Tiantai station & Guoqing Temple & Tongbai Palace & Tongxuan Temple & Mount Tiantai Great Waterfall & Tiantai County Town (for dining)
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Guoqing Temple, as one of the four famous temples in China, has ancient temples, pagodas, and plum trees from the Sui Dynasty, and is a 5A-rated scenic area that can be visited without a ticket, hidden in the mountains, with a quiet and elegant environment...
Tongbai Palace, a holy site of the southern sect of Taoism, is like a fairyland...
Tongxuan Temple, with its Southern Song Dynasty-style architecture, is a small courtyard with a strong Zen atmosphere, so beautiful that even celebrities like Liu Shishi and Zhao Liying have come to visit.
Mount Tiantai Great Waterfall, known for its spectacular 325-meter drop, is one of the highest waterfalls in China.
RoamingGlobetrotter
High-speed rail direct, explore the ancient temple of a thousand years
Tiantai Mountain Guoqing Temple, an ancient temple of a thousand years that is severely underrated!
📅 2-Day Travel Guide
Day 1
- Guoqing Temple: One of the four great temples of China, an ancient Sui dynasty temple, a 5A scenic spot with no admission fee.
- Tiantai Mountain Waterfall: With a drop of 325 meters, it's the highest waterfall in China, and spectacularly breathtaking.
- Tongbai Palace: The southern ancestral hall of the Quanzhen sect, experience the charm of Taoist culture.
Day 2
- Tiantai County Town: Zhongshan East Road and Zhongshan West Road, visit the Chen family ancestral hall and Wumen Tower, experience the local life of Tiantai.
- Huading: Winter high mountain clouds and pines, summer hillsides full of azaleas, suitable for all seasons.
- Shiliang Waterfall: Naturally formed granite waterfall and stone bridge, the beauty of nature is admirable.
- Tongxuan Temple: A secluded Tang-style ancient temple hidden in the deep mountains, feel the tranquility and mystery of the ancient temple.
🏨 Accommodation Recommendations
- Homestays at the foot of Tiantai Mountain: Convenient and affordable, experience local life.
🍲 Food Recommendations
- Tuzao Tou: Taste the authentic snacks of Tiantai Mountain.
- Yuqing Residence: Enjoy the exquisite cuisine of Tiantai.
- Sanmu Yushi: Special snacks, such as food cone, selling cakes, flat food, etc.
📸 Special Experiences
- Sui Mei Blossoms: The blooming season of the thousand-year-old Sui Mei, not to be missed.
- Misty Clouds: The Guoqing Temple in the early morning, shrouded in mist, is like a fairyland.
bitterer.brianna
Zhao Liying's same model Zen temple! There's a beauty that seems not of this world
Zhao Liying and Liu Shishi have both come to this ancient temple for Zen meditation
It's so low-key that few people reach it, located at the top of the mountain on the northwest corner of Tiantai Mountain
After a winding mountain road with eighteen turns, there's still a short dirt path to reach it
Tongxuan Temple was founded in the first year of Tianfu of the Later Jin Dynasty (936 AD)
It is the first ancient temple created by the great master Deshao of the Fayan sect of Buddhism during the Five Dynasties period on Tiantai Mountain
Arriving at sunset, met a few enthusiastic dogs in the temple
The Zen rooms of the ancient temple truly embody the saying 'A winding path leads to a secluded spot, where the Zen rooms are deep amidst flowers and trees'
The frozen greenery under the setting sun shines like crystals❄️
The Zen courtyard, still not free from snow, has a beauty that seems not of this world
No wonder the master, facing such scenery, spontaneously recited the Zen verse: 'At the peak of Tongxuan, it is not the human world, outside the heart there is no dharma, only green mountains fill the eyes.'🍃
Meditating, walking dogs, ringing bells, stealing a moment of leisure at Tongxuan Temple, slow down to feel the morning and evening bells, the sunrise and sunset, experience the passage of time while maintaining inner peace, and enjoy the selfless freedom.
After all, the ultimate coolness is Tongxuan.🍵
The Culinary Cruise
Not in Kyoto, but in Tongxuan Temple of Tiantai, the Zen-like paradise is stunningly beautiful
I quietly took half a day off, choosing to take a brief leave from the bustling world and arrived at Huizhao Courtyard in Tiantai County, Taizhou. Here, I played with cats and dogs, savored tea, burned incense, and cast away worldly troubles from my mind, wishing only to savor a moment of tranquility.
🚗 Transportation: Self-drive/Taxi search 🔍 locate Tongxuan Temple
We stayed one night at Guoqing Temple and then took a taxi to Tongxuan Temple, which cost 46 yuan.
☎️ Reservation: Please contact the master in advance to confirm the room before check-in. The price for a standard room is 500 yuan per night, including morning and evening vegetarian meals, Zen meditation, and scripture copying; an additional 30 yuan per person is required for reserving a noon meal.
🛏️ Guest rooms: Huizhao Courtyard is decorated with wood, and the central courtyard is designed in the style of dry landscape, antique and fresh. The rooms are equipped with hot water, floor heating, toiletries, slippers, and a hairdryer, making the accommodation very comfortable.
🕐 Daily Schedule:
- 5:30 Wake up
- 6:00-7:00 Zen meditation experience
- 7:30 Morning meal
- 11:30 Noon meal
- 17:30 Evening meal
- 19:00 Scripture copying
Meditators can participate in the above activities as they wish, or apply to sweep the courtyard, feed deer, etc. The master will notify in advance before all activities after 7:30.
🍵 Reservations can be made for paid experiences in flower arrangement, tea ceremony, and incense ceremony, enriching your stay.
RoamingReverie08
The Real Journey of Healing the Heart | Guide to Temples Where You Can Stay
'Choosing to burn incense between work and progress' has become a way for many young people to relieve stress. A clean monk, three sticks of incense, listening to the Sanskrit, smelling the incense... It seems that all the troubles and anxieties will be released in the temple
The advanced way to relieve stress in the temple is to stay in the temple and practice meditation, copying scriptures, worshiping Buddha, stopping talking and walking, vegetarian food, and you can also attend morning classes with the master, meditate and chant, listen to the morning bell and evening drum
I have sorted out 7️⃣ temple guides, you can sign up for meditation courses, volunteer recruitment, or directly live in the temple to change the environment, and start a journey of healing the body and mind 🎐
🔸Tongxuan Temple
Most people come to Tiantai Mountain to go to Duguqing Temple, but there is also a hidden small temple Tongxuan Temple, Liu Shishi's magazine blockbuster in 'Yueyou', and Zhao Liying's magazine blockbuster in 'Glass' were filmed here. The temple's accommodation is 500 yuan/night, including three vegetarian meals.
🎫Ticket: Free
📌Address: Tianpei Line, Tiantai County, Taizhou City
🚗Transportation: No public transportation, take a taxi after the high-speed rail to Tiantai County, about 40min
🔸Fajing Temple
Fajing Temple is the only Buddhist female venue in Hangzhou, and it is also the place where the well-known Sansheng Stone is located. The rooms in the temple were originally provided for the believers in Hangzhou to stay, and now they are also open to the public, but they still hope that those who come to stay are people of the same frequency, because it is a female venue, so it is also mainly to receive women. The room types are standard rooms and 4-person bunks. The standard room is 200 yuan, the bunk is 60 yuan, but the bunk does not have a separate bathroom. Accommodation does not include meal costs, and you need to pay an additional 10 yuan for the ticket, and then you can enter and exit the temple unlimited times.
🎫Ticket: 10 yuan/person
📌Address: No. 66 Tianzhu Road, Xihu District, Hangzhou
🚗Transportation: Bus No. 103 'Three Tianzhu' Station
🔸Zanghai Temple
Zanghai Temple is hidden on the top of Yushan in Changshu, surrounded by towering ancient trees, and it appears more majestic and magnificent against the many landscapes of Yushan Jianmen. Staying here, there are also many activities to participate in, such as pre-booking meditation, lectures, Dharma meetings, lighting prayers, sewing blessing bags, copying the Heart Sutra and short tours around Yushan, etc., can be booked in advance.
🎫Ticket: Scenic area ticket 30 yuan/person
📌Address: No. 30 Yushan Middle Road, Changshu City, Suzhou
🚗Transportation: Changshu You 1 Road Jianmen Scenic Area Station
🔸Chanyuan Temple
Located in the depths of the Xitianmu Mountain Scenic Area, it has gone through more than 1,700 years of wind and rain, and has produced three national teachers. Living here, you can taste tea and meditate, pray for blessings and copy scriptures, and you can also take a walk around the temple. There are few tourists, very quiet, and you can fully appreciate the natural beauty of Xitianmu Mountain.
🎫Ticket: Free
📌Address: Inside the Tianmu Mountain Scenic Area, Lin'an District, Hangzhou City
🚗Transportation: Take the subway line 16 to Jiuzhou Street Station, and take a taxi to Chanyuan Temple
🔸Xianghai Zen Temple, originally named Fushan Temple
There is a huge bell weighing 1,300 jin in the temple, known as the 'bell sound spreads thousands of miles'. It does not directly provide accommodation to the outside world. You can sign up for the temple's monthly meditation courses or volunteers. The accommodation environment is relatively simple, but very clean. There are single rooms, four-person rooms and multi-person rooms, and toiletries need to be brought by yourself. If you sign up for a meditation course, there will be different course content every month, the price is around 200 yuan, and you can choose according to your needs.
🎫Ticket: Free
📌Address: Puyuan Town, Tongxiang, Jiaxing City
🚗Transportation: Take a taxi to the high-speed rail to Tongxiang Station or Jiaxing South
🔸Jingshan Temple
Jingshan Temple, also known as Wanshou Zen Temple, is the last peak after the sinicization of Buddhism, and it is also the 'first of the five major Zen temples in the south of the Yangtze River'. If you want to come to the temple for meditation and accommodation, you can sign up for the temple's volunteer recruitment or meditation courses. Volunteers provide free vegetarian meals and accommodation, and the environment is also very clean and tidy, with 4-person bunk beds.
🎫Ticket: 30 yuan/person
📌Address: Jingshan Town, Yuhang District, Hangzhou City
🚗Transportation: Transfer to the scenic area shuttle bus at the Dajingshan Tourism Distribution Center
🔸Xilin Zen Temple
Different from other temples, Xilin Zen Temple is surrounded by rice fragrance all over the ground, lotus leaves are connected to the fields, and the temple has also opened up 'self-sufficient farmland', making meditation more life-like. The temple has a noon vegetarian meal, 15 yuan/person, and there is also a single Fudian coffee built in the rice field next to it. In summer, you can enjoy lotus and watch the rice field.
🎫Ticket: Free
📌Address: No. 206 Wenshan Road, Yinzhou District, Ningbo City
🚗Transportation: Drive to Xilin Zen Temple, free parking at the door