Located in the western suburb of Suzhou, Hanshan Temple has a history of more than 1,400 years, and it is famous for the line “Hanshan Temple outside Gusu City, the sound of bells ringing in the middle of the night arrives at the passenger boat” in the famous poem “Night Mooring on the Maple Bridge” written by Zhang Ji, a poet of the Tang Dynasty. Cold Mountain Temple is famous for praying for blessings, and every day there is a constant stream of believers who come to the temple to ring the bells and enter the incense, praying for peace.
Hanshan Temple mainly consists of Da Xiong Bao Dian, Bell Tower, Monument Corridor, Bible Building and other buildings. Inside the Daxiongbao Hall, the tall Sumeru Seat is carved with white jade, on which is enshrined the golden statue of Sakyamuni Buddha, and on both sides against the wall are enshrined the eighteen iron gilt statues of Lohan cast in the Ming Dynasty during the period of Chenghua, which were moved here from Wutai Mountain, the holy place of Buddhism.
The bell tower inside the temple is the source of the “sound of bells at midnight”, and the loud and melodious sound of the bells is a symbol of the Cold Mountain Temple. Every year on December 31, Cold Mountain Temple will hold a New Year's bell-ringing ceremony, where the bell is rung 108 times to signify that the troubles of the coming year will be eliminated. Although the bell is no longer the same as the one in the Tang poem, but a monument of the late Qing Dynasty, it is a rare giant bell that takes three people to hold.
Travel Tips
Address: Fengqiao Road, Gusu District, Suzhou
Tel: 0512-67236213
Opening Hours: 08:00-16:30 year round
Entrance Fees: CNY 20