China Trip: Day 6 – Hanshan Temple

After visiting the pearl factory, we headed to Hanshan Temple (also known as Cold Mountain Temple) in Suzhou.

Here is a view of the main pagoda from outside the temple gates

When you walk through the front gates you are met by this fierce guy & his friends. Check out their eyes!

Not sure if the lute is supposed to be a weapon?! *LOL*

(Click on more for another 13 pics & journaling)

Hanshan Temple is a Buddhist temple and was originally built in the Liang Dynasty (over 1500 years ago). It was made famous years later by the ancient poet Zhang Ji in the poem A Night Mooring near Maple Bridge:

While I watch the moon go down, a crow caws through the frost;
Under the shadows of maple-trees a fisherman moves with his torch;
And I hear, from beyond Suzhou, from the temple on Cold Mountain,
Ringing for me, here in my boat, the midnight bell.

The bell described in Zhang Ji’s poem disappeared a long time ago. It was replaced by a replica in 1904. Many still believe, however, that listening to the tolls of the bell at Hanshan Temple will dispel all worries and anxieties. Every year on New Year’s Eve in China’s lunar calendar, the bell is tolled to pray for happiness and safety in the coming New Year. This festival attracts thousands of tourists both at home and abroad.

If you happen to be visiting the temple at some time other than the lunar new year, you can still hear the bell ring. In fact, you can ring it yourself! Visitors can pay the equivalent of around $1 USD to go inside the bell tower and ring the bell 3 times for good fortune. You first climb a narrow circular staircase where you see a suspended log & a huge bell with a small Buddha sculpture beneath it. You swing the log against the bell & hit it three times…and only three times. Four rings are for those who wish to become monks, and five times and above is said to bring bad luck. (so yes, only 3 times for me!)

At this particular temple, I was struck by the number of incense burners, flame offerings, & candle structures scattered around the main courtyard.

For example, Buddhist worshipers were placing these flammable sticks into this structure & bowing in reverence to it.

Up close, the flammable sticks almost looked like fireworks. I was ready to duck at any moment.

These red candles were interesting as well…

Up close, you can see the detailed Kanji characters.

Notice the bell detail on this incense burner… a theme throughout the temple grounds.

There were also a number of golden Buddha statues that were quite ornate. Here are a few.

At the end of the temple compound is a hall which houses a statue of two monks, one holding a lotus flower and the other a vase. This brings the meaning of togetherness, and couples are encouraged to step into this hall holding hands. Now if you ask me, it looks a bit like the monk on the right is in the middle of a karaoke solo…not to be irreverant. But that’s what it looks like!

Similar to other temples & gardens, I was intrigued by the design on the pebbled pathways of the temple.

Having completed our tour, we were ready to go to our next stop…dinner & a new hotel in the town of Hangzhou.