Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Four Heavenly Kings. Inside, an 800-year-old statue of Skanda, the Guardian of Buddhist
Law and Order, protects an image of the Maitreya (Future) Buddha. Go through the temple,
exit via the rear door and cross the courtyard to the Grand Hall. Here, you'll find China's
largest sitting Buddha: a 20m (65ft) gilded statue of Sakyamuni Buddha. This 1956 replica of
a Tang Dynasty statue is carved from 24 blocks of gilded camphor wood.
FEILAI FENG
From the temple, follow the signs directly south to the evocatively named
Peak That Flew
that it looked so much like one in India that it must have flown here. It's easy to see his point:
Feilai Feng is smaller than the neighbouring sandstone peaks.
Its origins aside, Feilai Feng's main attraction is its stone carvings on the rock face. The
240 mostly intact carvings date from the 10th century to the 14th century, with the oldest
ones being the 10th-century Guanyin (Goddess of Mercy) in the Deep Dragon Cave (Long-
hong Dong) and the carvings in Shot of Gleam Cave (Shexu Dong). But the favourite is the
famous fat, jolly Laughing Buddha.
Follow the path west and the signs to Fayun Village, past the Temple of Goodness
(Yongfu Si). This village has been luxuriously refurbished as the home of the
Amanfayun
re-
sort where you can have lunch, see
2
, followed by a traditional tea ceremony featuring
Hangzhou's famous Longjing tea at the Teahouse. Take a moment and wander through the
complex of restored village houses - it's eminently luxurious, and the meticulous restoration
of the thatched roofs and stone walls against the age-old landscape of mountains and an-
cient trees evoke the charm of old China.
