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Lingyin Temple

Lingyin Temple, Hangzhou

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Lingyin Temple

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See all things to do
Lingyin Temple
4.5
1,460
#1 of 384 things to do in Hangzhou
Historic Sites • Religious Sites
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Built in 326 A.D. at the foot of Lingyin Mountain, this temple features a main hall extending 33.5 meters in height, a statue of Sakyamuni carved out of 24 pieces of camphor wood and a laughing Buddha covered in gold.
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4.5
1,460 reviews
Excellent
846
Very good
490
Average
108
Poor
10
Terrible
6
Zarza's Travels
China254 contributions
Favourite temple in China so far...
Feb 2021 • Solo
A beautiful grand construction with a variety of different buildings set back up various sets of stairs. Each building contains what can only be described as breathtakingly enormous statues of various Chinese deities, so grand in scale and design. They ask you not to take photos inside the buildings and I think that is a great idea. Can get very busy, but I believe the hustle and bustle is part of the beauty, as people pray, share food and talk everywhere! Even if you are not religious or spiritual this is a fantastic place to visit, almost makes you feel as if you are part of something grander! Remember to keep looking up, the beauty of the roof for example is something not to be missed, whilst focusing on everything at eye level too. Lots of steps, but keep climbing up - it is worth it!
Written March 5, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Joel K
Vancouver, Canada2,905 contributions
What a temple complex!!... You gotta go...
Nov 2019
Multiple temples located in the vicinity of the northwest side of the West Lake. Also known as the Yunlin Temple, first built in 326 AD. There are over 300+ statues in the complex. There is the Temple Of Heavenly Kings, Guard of the Temples, Big Long Precious Hall, Hall of Medicine, Hall of the Crazy Monk, and many more. Well worth the visit.
Written March 11, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Eva Simonyi
Budapest, Hungary37 contributions
Amazing Buddhist temple from the 4th century
Dec 2019
Lingyin Temple is one of the oldest Buddhist temples in China. It is beautiful, and the park is also breathtaking. We climbed a lot of stairs, but it was totally worth it. It contains multiple temples, pagodas, and small fountains.
Written January 15, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Dickson90
Singapore, Singapore305 contributions
Be prepared for a lot of climbing of stairs
Dec 2019
Lingyin Temple is one of the oldest and wealthiest Buddhist temples in Mainland China, and, along with the West Lake, should not be missed when coming to Hangzhou. As the Hangzhou Metro does not cover many of the main attractions in Hangzhou, including this one, it is probably advised to take a taxi there straight, as the buses there may not be familiar or easy to use for tourists.

To get in there however, one has to first pay a ticket to enter the Fei Lai Feng Park, which in itself is a separate attraction worth visiting too, with all its centuries old stone sculptures and statues on the natural formations in the park. It will take a fair bit of walking before getting to Lingyin Temple itself.

Once you reach Lingyin Temple itself, you will have to pay a separate ticket to enter the temple at its ticket office. The ticket price itself includes a joss stick to make your prayers at the temple grounds itself if you so desire. The temple itself is quite big, and there are a lot of stairs to climb so do be prepared for some walking to get all the way to the end and back.

Do take the time to see the giant Buddhist statues and observe worshippers burning incense and making prayers on the temple itself. Sometimes you may be lucky to even see monks at work chanting Buddhist prayers and chantras for well wishers. The vast history of this temple is well worth a read before visiting this temple. Probably at least an hour would be needed to properly see the temple in full.
Written January 11, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
WeeKee
Singapore41 contributions
Amazing temple complex - be prepared for stairs
Dec 2019
If you were to visit only one temple in China, this would be it. Huge temple complex, with a long and interesting history. It’s a series of halls set on a hill, so be prepared for quite some walking. Remember to check out the huge carving at the back of the main hall. The grottos along the way to the temple is worth a visit as well. Take some time to walk through and appreciate the wonders. Look out for where there’s destructions, and learn about the history of what happened in China. It’s widely and commonly known, and you can hear people talking about it in whispers, but nothing is mentioned specifically on the descriptions.
Written January 9, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
jeffry
1 contribution
Great temple
Jan 2020 • Family
Greatest temple i ever seen in whole life.

Many buddha statue , so big and many people pray. Easy to find.. suggestion to take a rent car/taxi to go there..

Written January 4, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Traveller_Oldie
East London, South Africa249 contributions
Beautiful Natural Area
Jan 2020 • Family
Actually the most beautiful part of the temple is the rocky hill, sculptures and beautiful clear water streams before you enter the temple.

The carvings and statues in the temple are very impressive, but make sure you have a very knowledgeable guide to tell you all the stories. The “crazy” monk is quite a crazy story.
Written January 3, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
cornwall15
Durham, NC70 contributions
very nice scenery
Oct 2019
we visited here in october 2019 and found the scenery to be very nice. Being on a mountainside you should expect to be climbing quite a few stairs, but they are not that steep. The temple is in a park area of some size. There are facilities for food, snacks, and drinks. Virtually all sights here are outside and thus subject to temperature, sun, and rain variations. As a national treasure the crowds are always big here - be prepared to share it with them - that's the only drawback we had with this site.
Written December 29, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
ARATT_SG
Singapore, Singapore293 contributions
One of my favorite places in Hangzhou
Dec 2019
If you have the chance to visit it with little crowd this temple has a very unique atmosphere. I highly recommend a rainy day in December.
Written December 28, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Heng
Singapore, Singapore3,518 contributions
Amazing temple
Dec 2019 • Family
This is located in a large complex which houses several temples and outdoor sculptures.

The temple is amazing. Superb detailing, lots of sculptures, lots of worshippers. Endless number of rooms to enter. Could easily spend an entire day here.
Written December 18, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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