Hanshan Temple Guide

Located at the Fengqiao Town, 5 kilometers from Suzhou City, Hanshan Temple was constructed during Tianjian erain Liang Dynasty, with a history of more than 1400 years. It was originally called “Miaoli Puming Temple” and then changed its name into “Hanshan Temple” for it was said that Hanshan and Shide, the famous monk during Tang Dynsaty, had been the abbot of the temple. It was one of the ten greatest temples of China in history. Hanshan Temple is famed because of the poem "A Night Mooring by Maple Bridge”, written by Zhang Ji, a famous poet in Tang Dynasty. The poem describes the melancholy scene of a dejected traveler, moored at night at Fengqiao, hearing the bells of Hanshan Temple.

In the Great Buddha’s Hall in Hanshan Temple, there is a bronze Ding, on the surface of which there engraved “' ' ”and “' ' ”on the back. There is a legend about these eight Chinese characters. It is said that the Buddhists and Taoists are quarrel with each other about whose sutra can endure fire. The monks put the Diamond Sutra into the fire in this ding but the sutra is okay. And then people engraved the eight characters to mark the thing. Like all the temples in China, there is Great Buddha’s Hall and Sutra Collection Pavilion in Hanshan Temple. There is a statue of Sakyamuni in the Great Buddha’s Hall. However, different from the other temples in China, there dedicate the stone sculptures of Hanshan and Shide instead of Guanyin.

To the south of the Sutra Collection Pavilion , there is the Bell Tower, with the shape of hexagon. Every year in the Chinese New Year’s Eve, people from home and abroad is gathering together to listen to the sound of the bell. It is said that all your trouble in one year will be driven away by the bell.
Hanshan Temple
Address: No.24 Hanshansi Lane, Fengqiao Town, Suzhou City
Opening hours: 8:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Transportation: you can take bus No. 3, 6, 9, 17, 21, 31, 301 and tourist bus Line 3 to get off at the Fengqiao Stop.

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• Hanshan Temple