Come to the ancestral home of the Hehe culture, and worship China's own gods of love and marriage
Suzhou has many cultural hallmarks, such as gardens, Suzhou craftsmanship, Kunqu opera, Pingtan narrative singing, Suzhou embroidery, and the bells of Hanshan Temple are certainly one of them. Visit the Maple Bridge scenic area where the great poet Zhang Ji once moored his boat, enjoy a serving of Guanyin's blessed noodles, contemplate the way of harmony, get a stamp, and engage in activities like fish petting, cat cuddling, and bell ringing...
Hanshan Temple, originally built during the Tianjian era of the Southern Dynasties (502-519), is also known as 'Miaoli Pubright Court'. During the Tang Dynasty's Kaiyuan era, Monk Xiqian established the temple, and because the poet-monk Hanshan once practiced in seclusion here, it was named Hanshan Temple, one of China's top ten famous temples.
Hanshan was one of the three great vernacular poets of the Tang Dynasty and was revered as a patriarch during America's hippie movement. His inseparable friend Shide once traveled to Japan to spread the teachings and established 'Shide Temple' there. The two were considered eccentric and unrestrained, and in Buddhism, they were seen as incarnations of the Bodhisattvas Manjusri and Samantabhadra, thus becoming symbols of harmony among the people.
Later, Hanshan and Shide became deities overseeing marriage, known as the 'Joyous Gods of Harmony', and were granted the title 'Hehe Ersheng' by Emperor Yongzheng, with the alternative name 'Joyous Heaven and Earth'.
Hanshan Temple is the ancestral home of the Hehe culture, and today the temple houses the Hanshi Spring and Hanshi Hall. Hanshi Hall, located inside the Sutra Depository, is adorned with carvings on the roof ridge depicting the return from the journey to the West to obtain the true scriptures.
Here, the joyous Hehe Immortals are worshipped, with their bare chests and smiling faces. They embody the beauty of adulthood and inherit the virtues of Tai Bo, Zhong Yong, and Ji Zha, who thrice declined the throne, and are deeply revered by the people. 'If I am joyful, my troubles are few; the troubles of the world turn into joyous smiles.'
In the Wu region, there is a custom of ringing bells at midnight, known as 'Fenye Bell' or 'Dingye Bell'. The Tang Dynasty poet Zhang Ji, after failing the imperial examination and seeking to avoid the 'An Lushan Rebellion', traveled south along the Grand Canal. Due to the canal being blocked, he moored at Maple Bridge.
Hearing the midnight bell, his traveler's sorrow surged, and he wrote the timeless masterpiece 'Night Mooring at Maple Bridge', which was later included in the 'Complete Tang Poems' by Gao Zhongwu, becoming a household name.
Hanshan Temple faces east and west, with the ancient canal just outside the temple, likely for the convenience of boat passengers coming ashore to offer incense. The mountain gate bears the inscription 'Miaoli Zongfeng' written by the late Qing Jiangsu Governor Cheng Dequan.
Generations of literati have come here to recite poetry and inscribe words. The temple houses three stele pavilions displaying many famous calligraphic works by figures such as Yue Fei, Wang Gui, Shen Du, Tang Yin, Wen Zhengming, Yu Yue, Kang Youwei, Li Dazhao, Liu Haisu, Lian Zhan, and others. The poetry stele written by the great master of simplicity Yu Yue is considered a unique treasure of Hanshan Temple.
In front of the Mahavira Hall, there are two Chenglu platforms, covered with ginkgo leaves swept from the roof by the temple monks. The Chenglu platform was originally built by Emperor Wu of Han under the influence of an old Taoist, and later became a platform for offering food to the departed spirits.
The main hall features yellow walls and grey tiles, with a single-eave hipped-gable roof. The openwork ridge is adorned with a coiled dragon sculpture, with Ao fish ridge crests at both ends. The hanging and oblique ridges are made of openwork spliced tiles, with Vajra warriors standing at the ends of the hanging ridges.
The Buddha niche's backdrop in the Mahavira Hall is a stone carving of 'Hanshan and Shide' by Luo Pin, one of the 'Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou' from the Qing Dynasty.
The highest point within the temple is the Puming Pagoda. The Puming Pagoda is a Tang-style five-tiered wooden pagoda with flying eaves and upturned corners, solemn and robust. Each side has a door, with the plaque 'Puming Pagoda' hanging high above each door, inscribed by Zhao Puchu, Xie Xiaosi, Fei Xinwo, and Shen Peng.
In 1993, Monk Xingkong initiated the construction of the Hanshan Annex. Inside the Fan Yin Pavilion of the Hanshan Annex hangs 'China's First Dharma Bell', which is also the world's largest redwood bell tower. The bell weighs 108 tons, stands 8.6 meters tall, and is currently the largest Buddhist bell in the world.
Hanshan Temple outside Gusu City, you have to go to Hanshan Temple to burn incense and worship Buddha when you arrive in Suzhou, and visit Fengqiao Scenic Area by the way. On the day of going to Hanshan Temple, it is not a working day, but there are still many tourists. It is enough to prove that Hanshan Temple is hot. You must remember to make an appointment in advance!
I went to Suzhou for the first time 20 years ago. I have not been to Hanshan Temple. This time I took my children to travel. I must go to Hanshan Temple to punch the card. After all, the child knows that Hanshan Temple is definitely more famous than Huqiu. Hanshan Temple outside Gusu City is the sound of the night. The passenger boat, in fact, there is no need to buy tickets. We also bought tickets for Hanshan Temple, and then went in and turned around and came out, although the fare was not expensive. After seeing Fengqiao, it was over in half an hour. I will know next time.
There are too many people during the Spring Festival! However, the architectural style of the scenic spot is still very unique! The location is not big, but the first time we came, we also invited a tour guide to explain! This is more convenient to understand in depth!
It is worth visiting, hit the clock to worship Buddha, or ask a tour guide, know the knowledge of visiting the temple, so as not to go the wrong way, the number of Luohan in the temple, the price of Putizi Buddha beads is not expensive, I think you must go to Hanshan Temple when you come to Suzhou
A piece of Zhang Ji's "Fengqiao Night Bo" made Hanshan Temple famous! This time I came to this place, I felt that the Fengqiao outside was really beautiful, and the fingers of Zhang Ji's bronze statue were all touched. The koi in the koi pool is so big, it is simply no natural enemy, so I can grow up happily, and it is also the light of the Buddha Gate. This temple is also very prosperous. It's really fascinating!
The environment is still quite good. The ticket is bought one day in advance. The ticket price is considered to be low in many attractions. When I went today, it was a little rain on a cloudy day. The artistic conception of the misty rain Jiangnan was also very popular. The only downside was that many areas of the punch-in place seen from the Internet were difficult to maintain. There are too many people in line for everything.
🎃 'Suzhou Tandian·Hanshan Temple' 🎃📍🗺🎠⛳️🐾 Hanshan Temple Lane No. 24 🐾🎰 # ✨💜 Ring 👑 Environment 💜✨🍾 # ✅✅✅✅✅🎰 # ✨💚 📸 Photo 💚✨🍾 # ✅✅✅✅✅🎨 #✨🏳️🌈 Push 💎 lift 🏳️🌈✨🍾 # 🎖️🎖️🎖️🎖️🎖️☯️⇢🌸💦: Of course, I have to go to Suzhou to go to Hanshan Temple on the sixth day of the sixth day. It’s not much drizzle in the afternoon. There is not a lot of people at the gate. There is no row around the gate. I can directly enter Buddha worship. I bought a dragon. The rope god of wealth ornaments hung the rope and rang the clock. The taxi at the door was the same as the price at the entrance of the train station. Just one or two kilometers directly opened the price of 60 ... I would like to take a taxi! Or go out and take the bus! When Didi waited, I saw several taxis opening the price indiscriminately and the speechless people scolding ... corrupted. Good feeling! ! !