Feilai Feng Grottoes

Feilai Feng, or 'Peak Flown From Afar,' is a limestone outcrop on the approach path to Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou's Xihu District, riddled with caves and covered with over 380 Buddhist rock carvings dating from the 10th to the 14th centuries, spanning the Five Dynasties, Song, and Yuan periods. The carvings include one of the earliest and largest depictions in China of the Laughing Buddha (Budai), carved into the cliff face beside a stream that runs along the base of the outcrop. A network of paths and small bridges follows the stream past the carvings, leading into several shallow caves where smaller reliefs and inscriptions are cut directly into the rock. A walk through the grottoes, pausing to view the major carvings, takes about 1 to 1.5 hours, and is typically combined with a visit to Lingyin Temple just beyond, since both sites share the same entrance and reservation. The stream-side paths are shaded by the surrounding forest and stay cool even in summer, and are quietest on weekday mornings before the crowds heading to Lingyin Temple build up. The best views of the largest carvings, including the reclining Buddha and the Laughing Buddha group, are from the streamside path directly opposite the cliff face, where the scale and detail of the reliefs are easiest to appreciate.