Hanshan Temple

Hanshan Temple on Fengqiao Road in Suzhou's Gusu District, Jiangsu province, China, is a Buddhist temple founded about 1,500 years ago. It is one of the best-known temples in the country because of the Tang dynasty poet Zhang Ji's poem 'Maple Bridge Night Mooring', which describes a traveller hearing the temple bell at midnight while moored near the Maple Bridge. The poem is widely taught in China and Japan, and the temple draws many visitors for that literary association alone.

The complex has been destroyed and rebuilt several times, and most existing buildings date from the late Qing period and later. The main areas include the Grand Hall, a large bell tower housing a bronze bell, a Buddhist scripture pavilion and a pagoda. Stone tablets carved with the poem stand in the grounds, and small halls house statues and incense burners. Outside the temple gate, the ancient Fengqiao (Maple Bridge) and the Jiangcun Bridge cross the canal, and the canal-side scene is part of the visit. Visitors can climb the bell tower and, in some cases, ring the bell for an extra fee.

A visit takes one to one and a half hours. The best photo angles are from the arched bridge looking toward the temple wall and the yellow-painted gate, and from the courtyard with the bell tower behind. Morning light is calm and the temple is quieter then.

Hours are 08:00 to 17:00 from March to October and 08:00 to 16:30 from November to February. Admission is CNY 20, with free entry for children under 1.2 m and reduced prices for students. Tickets are sold at the gate or on Trip.com. Visitors should dress modestly, and burning incense is optional. The temple is especially busy around New Year's Eve, when a local bell-ringing event draws large crowds, and on weekends and public holidays. The temple is in the west of the city, reachable by bus or Didi from the railway station for about CNY 15, and it combines with Lingering Garden and Tiger Hill on a western circuit.