Qixia Temple

Qixia Temple is a Buddhist monastery at 88 Qixia Street in Qixia District, on the slopes of Qixia Mountain northeast of central Nanjing, Jiangsu province, China. It was founded in the fifth century during the Southern Qi period and is counted among the four great Buddhist temples of southern China, with a history of rebuilding after damage across the centuries. The present temple is a working monastery of the Chan tradition, with a series of halls rising up the hillside, including the Mountain Gate, the Hall of the Heavenly Kings, the Grand Hall and the Pilu Hall. Beside the temple stands the Sheli Pagoda, a five-storey octagonal stone pagoda from the Five Dynasties period, whose base is carved with reliefs of Buddha's life and is regarded as one of the finest stone carvings of its era. Behind the temple, the Thousand Buddha Cliff has rows of Buddha niches carved into the rock from the fifth century onward, with hundreds of figures of varying size. Visitors walk from the entrance through the temple courtyards and continue up the hill, and the site has a wooded setting with paths, pavilions and a pond. Qixia is famous for its autumn foliage: from mid to late November, the maples, ginkgo and other trees turn red, orange and gold, and the mountain is one of Nanjing's most popular places to see them. Visitors typically spend two to three hours, and the autumn season can extend this because of queues. The standard ticket costs about ¥20, though it rises during the leaf season, and children under 1.2 metres enter free. The temple is open from 7:00 AM to 5:30 PM. Weekends in November see very heavy crowds, so weekday mornings are strongly preferable. The temple is reached by taking Metro Line 4 toward Qixia and then a short bus or taxi ride, and visitors should confirm the correct station and exit with a map app. Monastery etiquette applies, including modest dress and quiet behaviour.