Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
A twenty-minute walk south from here will bring you to the
Fayu Temple
(daily 6.30am-5.30pm; ¥5), another superb collection of over two hundred halls
amid huge trees, built up in levels against the slope during the Ming. With the
mountain behind and the sea just in front, it's a delightful place to sit in peaceful
contemplation. The Daxiong Hall has been brilliantly restored, while the
Dayuan Hall has a unique beamless arched roof and a dome, around the inside
of which squirm nine carved wooden dragons. This hall is said to have been
moved here from Nanjing by Emperor Kangxi in 1689. Its great
statue of
Guanyin
, flanked by monks and nuns, is the focal point of the goddess's
birthday celebrations in early April, w hen thousands of pilgrims and sightseers
crowd onto the island for chanting and ceremonies which last all evening.
172
