Guangji Temple and Zhe Pagoda

Guangji Temple is a Buddhist temple inside Zheshan Park on Jiuhua Middle Road in Jinghu District, Wuhu, Anhui province, China. It is of Tang-dynasty origin and is nicknamed Little Jiuhua, a reference to Mount Jiuhua, one of China's four sacred Buddhist mountains, which lies elsewhere in Anhui. The temple stands beside the Northern Song Zhe Pagoda, and the two together form the best-known historic ensemble on the hill. Visitors walk up from the Zheshan Park main gate to a compound of halls arranged with traditional upturned roofs, incense burners and courtyards. Inside, worshippers light incense and make offerings, while monks and lay devotees chant, and the smell of incense hangs over the courtyards. Visitors can step into the main halls, look at the Buddha images and enjoy the quiet, slightly elevated setting above the city. Listings show opening roughly 08:00 to 17:00 daily, and entry is free according to Wikivoyage, although incense and any inner-hall fees are paid on site, so it is worth verifying at the gate. A visit usually takes 45 minutes to an hour, longer if combined with the pagoda and the rest of the park. Mornings are the most atmospheric and the least crowded, with softer light for photographs of roof lines and the pagoda against trees. The temple is busiest on the first and fifteenth days of each lunar month, when more worshippers come to pray, and during festivals. Visitors are expected to dress modestly, keep voices low, avoid pointing feet or cameras directly at Buddha statues, and ask before photographing worshippers or monks. Photography rules inside halls vary, so look for posted signs.