|
Cold Mountain Temple, also called Hanshan Si in Pinyin, is
situated five kilometers (about three miles) from Fengqiao Old
Town in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province.
It is said that in the Tang Dynasty, a famous monk Han Shan came
to take charge of the temple, hence its name. Building
originally commenced during the Liang Dynasty (502-557), and was
repaired again in the following dynasties. Now, covering an area
of about 10,600 square
meters (about three acres), it presents the architectural style
of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). It includes the Grand Prayer
Hall, Sutra-Collection Building, Bell Tower, Fengjiang Pavilion
and Tablets Corridor, etc. In 1995, a five-storey Buddhism
pagoda as high as 42 meters (about 138 feet) was erected called
Puming Pagoda, which then became the symbolic building of the
temple. There are many more historical relics in the temple,
such as the statue of Han Shan, the stone tablet inscription of
the poem A Night Mooring near Maple Bridge and some other tablet
inscriptions written by famous intellectuals of ancient China.
The bright bell tower in the temple Being one of the most famous
temples in Chinese history, Hanshan Temple often boasts about
its bell rings. However, the best known bell described in Zhang
Ji's poem disappeared a long time ago. The bell in the tower
now, was modeled on the previous one in 1904. Every year on New
Year's Eve in China's lunar calendar, the bell is tolled to pray
for the happiness and safety of the coming New Year. This
festival attracts thousands of tourists both at home and abroad.
Cold Mountain Temple is also a Buddhism temple. The statue of
the Buddhist patriarch Sakyamuni is there for people to make
offerings to in the Grand Prayer Hall. In the Hongfa Hall, there
are bronze statues of three eminent monks: Xuan Zang (a Tang
Dynasty monk and translator), Jian Zhen (a Tang Dynasty monk who
once went to preach Buddhism in Japan) and Kong Hai. Kong Hai
was a Japanese monk who studied Buddhism in China in the ninth
century. He once visited Hanshan Temple when he stayed in China
and after he returned to Japan, he started to preach Buddhism in
his country. Until now, Hanshan Temple is still one of the most
important places to hold Buddhism activities.
Around the Cold Mountain Temple, you can also enjoy the
beautiful scenery of the Maple Bridge, where Zhang Ji's boat was
once moored, and get a realistic feel of the ordinary life of
the people living in the Fengqiao Old Town. You can also have a
look at the famous Jinghang Canal, which is the longest ancient
man-made canal in the world.
 Back
to the Suzhou
tour packages.
You can also take the advantage of your
Shanghai tour and pay a side trip
to Suzhou to experience the beauty and quietness in this world-famous
City of Garden!
|
