[Photo/IC]

Lingyin, or the Temple of the Soul's Retreat, has historically been the most renowned destination for Buddhist pilgrims in the Yangtze River Delta.

The monastery was founded in 326 during the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420), purportedly by the Indian monk Hui Li. In the 10th century, when Hangzhou was the capital city of the Buddhist Wuyue Kingdom, the temple for the first time gained its unprecedented importance.

The temple has undergone several restorations, the latest of which was in the 1970s at the urging of Premier Zhou Enlai. Lingyin Temple is now considered one of the largest Buddhist complexes in the country.

Upon entering the Great Hall of the monastery, visitors will see a 200-year-old statue of Maitreya, also known as the Laughing Buddha, which has a huge belly. The Four Heavenly Kings, or Buddhist guardians, stand on either side of Maitreya.

Visitors then enter the main hall of the temple complex, the Jeweled Hall of the Great Heroes, or Da Xiong Bao Dian in Chinese. It houses a 64-foot-high statue of Sakyamuni, a representation of the Buddha himself, Siddhartha Gautama. Covered with gold leaf, Sakyamuni is thought to be the largest sitting Buddha statue in China.

The temple grounds also hold a household and mystical hill called the Peak Flying from Afar, a limestone pinnacle over 209 m high.