Wuxi in 1 day: Turtle Head Park & Ancient Town

Lingshan Scenic Spot is located on the shore of Taihu Lake in Wuxi, at the east foot of Xiaoling Mountain. The main attractions of the scenic spot include the 88-meter-tall bronze Buddha statue - Lingshan Giant Buddha, the gorgeous Lingshan Brahma Palace, the Five Seal Mandala, and the wonderful performance of Nine Dragon Bathing. Auspicious Ode to Heling Mountain. You can come here for sightseeing, pray to Buddha, or even practice meditation.

The scenic spots in Lingshan Scenic Area are mainly along two roads. The important scenic spots along the way from south to north are Kowloon Bathing Bath, Buddha's Hand Square, Xiangfu Temple, and Lingshan Giant Buddha. The important scenic spots along the way to the right after entering the gate are south. The Five Seal Mandala and the Lingshan Brahma Palace in the north. Take the straight path first, then take the right path. Follow the order of Kowloon Bathing - Buddha's Hand Square - Xiangfu Temple - Lingshan Giant Buddha - Lingshan Brahma Palace - Wuyin Mandala to visit the main attractions of the scenic spot and some other archways. , sculptures and other small attractions can be seen when passing by on the road. If you don't want to walk, you can take a battery car. The cover the main tourist areas.

After entering the gate and passing through the large screen wall of Lingshan, go straight to Kowloon to take a bath and wait for the performance. During the performance, the copper lotus in the center of the fountain will open, revealing the bronze statue of Sakyamuni when he was just born. The water column came out to bathe Sakyamuni, and the copper lotus flower closed again. After the performance, clean water will flow out from the mouths of the eight groups of phoenix statues around the fountain, which can be drank directly. It is said to bring good luck and peace. Remember to bring an empty bottle to collect the water.

Then we came to the Buddha's Hand Square. The bronze Buddha's Hand statue on the left, "the best palm in the world," was made according to the 1:1 ratio of the Lingshan Giant Buddha's right hand. This allows you to experience how big the Lingshan Giant Buddha is up close. This Buddha's hand alone has three floors. High, the diameter of the finger is 1 meter. You can "touch the Buddha's hand to increase happiness and longevity". The bronze statue of Maitreya in Baizixi on the right is full of fun. There are a hundred urchins playing on Maitreya Buddha. Some are stacking arhats, some are poking Maitreya's navel with small branches, and even naughty ones are peeing. It is said that the urchins are testing Whether Maitreya really has a "big belly that can accommodate everything in the world"?

Head north to Xiangfu Temple. This small temple is the birthplace of the entire Lingshan scenic spot. It is said that Monk Tang thought the scenery here resembled the Vulture Mountain in India, so he called it "Xiaoling Mountain". His eldest disciple Qi Ji served as the first abbot of the "Xiaoling Mountain Temple". During the Xiangfu period of the Northern Song Dynasty, the temple was renamed Xiangfu. The Zen temple was unfortunately destroyed in modern times. The temple we see now was rebuilt after the reform and opening up. In the middle of the temple, there is an open-air miniature bronze Buddha statue that is exactly the same as the Lingshan Giant Buddha. At a glance, you can see the miniature Lingshan Giant Buddha and the original Lingshan Giant Buddha in the distance, which form an interesting contrast.

Next, we go to the Lingshan Giant Buddha at the northern end of this road. We first have to climb more than 200 steps to the foot of the Buddha. The slope of the steps is gentle and not too tiring. If you want to take pictures, the angle at the feet of the Buddha is not very good. It is more recommended to take a panoramic view of the Big Buddha near Xiangfu Temple just now. One thing that all tourists love to do when they arrive at the feet of the Buddha is to hug the Buddha's feet for peace. However, the Buddha is so big that one person can only hold one of its toes. There is a Buddhist Culture Expo in the pedestal under the Giant Buddha, which introduces the Five Buddhas of the Five Directions (Lingshan Giant Buddha in the East, Yungang Giant Buddha in the North, Longmen Giant Buddha in the Central Plains, Leshan Giant Buddha in the West, and Hong Kong Tiantan Giant Buddha in the South), Tibetan, and The culture and stories of the three major Buddhist traditions, Theravada and Han Buddhism.

Then go to the Lingshan Brahma Palace on the east side. The Brahma Palace looks a bit like a Central European building and looks quite exotic. You need to wear shoe covers (provided by the scenic spot) to enter. It is magnificent inside, with gold pillars and gold roofs. Dongyang wood carvings, Dunhuang Feitian colored sculptures, colorful glazes... Chinese-style "jewelry" are gathered together. Especially when you look up at the roof, you can see the layers of golden sculptures. The stars in the sky created by the blue lights on the form a perfect match with the surrounding golden Buddhist world. The strong color contrast makes most tourists look up and open their mouths in wonder after entering the Brahma Palace.

There is also a Lingshan Auspicious Ode performance to watch in the Lingshan Brahma Palace, telling the story of Sakyamuni's enlightenment process. When watching the performance, you should also pay attention to the of your head. The 1,500 lotus lanterns densely arranged in circles on the dome will change different light colors and be as gorgeous as a rainbow.

Afterwards, we arrived at the red and white Tibetan temple Five Seal Mandala, located in the middle of a lake. Looking east across the lake, we can see the Manfei Long Pagoda, which is similar to Southeast Asian Buddhism (Theravada Buddhism). Wind chimes are blowing from the tower. A pleasant sound. The Five Seal Mandala contains treasures such as thangkas and murals from the snowy land.