Last Updated Saturday October 20, 2007
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The Lingyin Temple is the most famous landmark in Hangzhou, other than the West Lake that dominates the center of the city. On the grounds of the temple is the Peak Flying from Afar with caves and many Buddhas carved into the stone.
This is the first of several temple buildings, one behind the other stepped up a steep hill. This large temple building hides the others so it is a surprise as you pass through and find another building higher up. It is a typical temple building made of wood columns, wood walls and ceiling and ceramic tile roof. The buildings are highly decorated inside and out.
Photography was not allowed inside the buildings that house many fabulous Buddha statues. The sky was the usual bright white overcast that washes out colors.
The terrace in front of each temple building was filled with crowds lighting incense from the fire pots there. Due to the wooden construction of the buildings the people were not allowed to take the burning incense into building to offer to Buddha as is the traditional practice.
The temple buildings are very close together so they are hard to get into a single photograph. This is four photos stitched together so there are some distortions like a fisheye lens. The roofline is really straight except for the corners that turn up. You can just barely see the Buddha through the door in the center.
Many of the temple buildings had these highly decorative window screens. On some the artist got carried away with the decoration and left little room for the air or light to pass through.
Lion detail on handrail on stairs.
This panel of Chinese characters was on the side of a terrace between temple buildings. If you can jump high and touch the sayings then they will come true. The crowd was having fun trying.
These dragons are usually found on the ends of the ridge pole on the roof like the top photo. Here we find some on the handrail of a terrace.
Asians like to put interesting rocks in front of their buildings. Even though the temple had many natural rocks on the grounds they installed this one in front of one of the temple buildings.
My tour guide Yan Liu chatting with other visitors.
One of the smaller temple buildings and the dragon head under the eve.
These details are a few of many, may that are along the ridgelines and other upper parts of the temple buildings. I had to use an extreme telephoto setting to capture them. I couldn't see the detail with my naked eye.
Another panel on the side of a terrace between temple buildings.
We noticed some German tourists admiring something on this flowerpot so we investigated. I thought it was a butterfly. Yan said it was something different. We decided to call it by the scientific name of bug.
This young lady was contemplating by a fountain oblivious to being surrounded by lions and a dragon looming over her head. Maybe she is feeling guilty about picking the flowers in her hand? The fountain is one more variation of a terrace wall between the temple buildings.
One of three Buddhas in the highest temple building. This building was of newer construction with masonry columns. The Buddhas were also fairly recent with a placard noting the telephone and fax numbers and URL of the company that crafted them.
These two visitors to the temple brought an offering made of yellow paper and I think meant to hang and blow in the breeze. If I were a Buddha (not impossible, Buddhas start out as real people) I'd rather have something pretty blowing in the breeze than filling the breeze with smoky incense.
Yan tried to listen to their conversation to see what they had but they were speaking something other than the Mandarin language most Chinese use.
This statue is supposed to commemorate the peace between China and Japan. It doesn't seem to be working lately as the Chinese newspapers are full of anti-Japanese editorial.
A decorative pagoda on one of the terraces in front of a temple building.
The temple buildings step up the steep hill but are hidden by the buildings themselves and the surrounding trees. Here you can see the corners of the roofs peaking out.
Another decorative detail on a wall. Notice the thin, raised dipper in the jar. How do they fashion stone so delicately?