Yongquan Temple, Gushan

Yongquan Temple, the Bubbling Spring Temple, sits on the slopes of Gushan, or Drum Mountain, in Jin'an District, Fuzhou, Fujian province, China. The temple dates back to the Tang and Five Dynasties period and remains an active Buddhist monastery, with halls arranged up the hillside among old camphor and banyan trees. Visitors pass through the entrance gate into courtyards with the Hall of Heavenly Kings, the main Mahavira Hall and a library hall, and can see two ancient ceramic pagodas from the Song dynasty in the front courtyard, decorated with rows of Buddha figures. The grounds also hold a vegetarian restaurant, which is popular for lunch, and sell incense, tea and Buddhist items. Around the temple, the wider Gushan scenic area offers hiking paths, stone inscriptions carved into cliff faces, and viewpoints looking over Fuzhou and the Min River; a funicular can reach the upper slopes for those who prefer not to climb. The temple ticket is about ¥5 and the scenic area entry ranges from free to about ¥10. Allow two to three hours for the temple and a short walk. Crowds build on the first and fifteenth days of each lunar month, when worshippers arrive in large numbers, and on holidays; weekday mornings are calmer. The site is about 30 to 40 minutes from central Fuzhou by taxi or bus. Visitors should dress modestly, speak quietly in the halls and avoid pointing cameras at worshippers during services. Hiking shoes are helpful on steeper trails and wet steps.