Major Scenic Spots 主要景点

The Peak That Flew Here 飞来峰

The peak That Flew Here directly faces Souls’ Retreat Temple. In about 326 in the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420), a Buddhist devotee came from India and insisted that this hill, 168 meters above sea level, resembled exactly one in his own country. He asked when it had flown to Hangzhou. To fortify his claim he said that the hill had a white monkey in a cave there. When recognized as The Peak That Flew Here. The hill is smaller and has more bizarre rocks and caves than those around it. It is also cut off from the other hills by a winding valley in which a stream flows. It is different too in having rocks of limestone rather than sand stone, as do the other hills.

One large cave in the hill can accommodate several hundred people. Continuing erosion has gradually produced cracks in the roof letting in daylight. On The Peak That Flew Here are over 280 ancient stone sculptures dating between the 10th and 14th centuries (Five Dynasties, Song and Yuan dynasties). These are important examples of ancient sculptural art south of the Yangtze River.

Pagoda of Six Harmonies 六和塔

Pagoda of Six Harmonies is 60 meters high and was built of wood and bricks to subduing the bore in 1970. An octagon supported by 24 pillars, the pagoda has 13 upturned eaves, which become progressively narrower toward the top. Contributing to the pleasing contour of the structure, a spiral staircase leads to the top of the seven-storey pagoda, the ceiling of each storey carved and painted with figurines, flowers, birds and animals whose colours are fresh and refined. Viewed from a distance the pagoda appears to be layered, bright on the upper surface and dark underneath, a technique used in ancient Chinese architecture to alternate light and shade and clearly delineate the pagoda for an attractive long-distance view. A panoramic view of the Qiangtang River (totaling 410 kilometers and the drainage area being 42,000 square kilometers) and its bridge (construction of the bridge started on August 8, 1934 and was completed on September 26, 1937; the 1,322-meter-long bridge was designed by Mao Yisheng(1896-1989), a bridge expert; it is double-decked, with double railroad tracks below and a four-lane highway above) is afforded from the top. If tourists are on any of the three days after the Mid-Autumn Festival (the 15th day of the 8th lunar month), they will witness the spectacular Qiantang River Bore (one of the magnificent sights of Nature in China自然伟观之一) when a huge wall of water rushes in with a thunderous roar. The roar of the high tides is answered by the beating of gongs and drums along the banks of the river, creating an occasion never to be forgotten.

Lingyin (Soul’s Retreat) Temple 灵隐寺

The name of Lingyin Temple or Soul’s Retreat Temple comes naturally from its quiet surroundings. With deeply forested hills on three sides, the temple is really a hideaway. It is the largest and most resplendent temple in Hangzhou. Built during the Eastern Jin Dynasty some 1,600 years ago, the temple was ruined and rebuilt many times over the centuries. It has recently taken on a completely new look showing the original splendour. In the Hall of the Heavenly King seated in the center is a statue of Maitreya, the fat-bare-bellied Buddha with a smiling face. The walkway from this hall to the main hall, which contains the famous statue of Sakyamuni, founder of Buddhism, is paved as though carpeted with green flagstones. The magnificent 19-meter-high statue is seated on a lotus flower amidst great red pillars and murals of a hundred cranes. Carved of camphor wood and gilded in gold, one foot of the statue measures 1.8 meters. Behind Sakyamuni is a colourful group-sculpture of 150 Buddhas representing an episode from the Buddhist scriptures. Another remarkable work of art is a sculpture of a Bodhisattva on the back of a whale on waves of the sea. Tourists know Chinese appreciate browsing among the scrolls on which are copied poems and couplets. One narrated of the celebrated litteratus and calligrapher of the Northern Song Dynasty Su Dongpo 苏东坡1073-1101）handling a case while he was Prefect of Hangzhou杭州知府或州府长官. The story tells about the owner of a fan shop who was charged with non-payment of a debt. The accused explained that he could not pay because he had not been able to sell his wares owing to continual rain and cold weather. Su Dongpo took up his brush and painted such attractive pictures on twenty of the shop-owner’s fan that they sold immediately, enabling the man to pay his debt at once. This story, true or not historically, indicates how deeds performed in the people’s interest are cherished.

Hangzhou Orient Culture Park 杭州东方公园

Situated on the southern bank of the Qiantang River, the theme park encompasses more than 133 hectares (51.338 acres). Hangzhou Orient Culture Park, a traditional Chinese culture theme park, was completed in May 2001. The park presents an array of traditional culture including Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. The park is built around the restored Yangqi Temple, which was first constructed in 1209 during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). The temple had been a holy land for local Buddhist devotees since inception. It was designated a Buddhist Culture Exhibition Center of China by the Chinese Religious Society soon after its restoration in September 2000.

Donated by the Palace Museum (known in the West as the Forbidden City) in Beijing, 16 Buddha statues including several worshipped by emperors and queens of the Qing Dynasty are currently on display in the “Underground Palace of the Golden Pagoda.” The Golden Pagoda was built following the Buddhist architecture style in Thailand. In order to make the park a Buddhist exhibition center, Buddhist cultural heritage from other countries have been introduced, especially countries in Southeast Asia. The park is one of the key tourism culture projects of Hangzhouand 300 million yuan (US $ 36 million) has been invested in it. The park boasts six main sections, such as the Century Square, Confucianism section, Buddhist section, Taoist section, a resort section, and a landscape section.

Welcome to China2Go, the talking Chinese phrase book for Windows Mobile Pocket PC and Palm OS. Featuring crystal clear voice recorded by a real person, this product is a great travel companion and an ideal tool to learn Chinese! With our cutting edge voice compression technology, this product includes more than 1000 phrases, their Chinese translation, and the voice in only a few megabytes. Supports all Windows Mobile Pocket PCs. H&H China2Go Talking Phrase Book for Windows Mobile