This thousand-year-old temple hides a plum tree over a thousand years old.

Built during the Sui Dynasty, this ancient temple is not only the ancestral home of the Tiantai Sect but also houses a "Sui Plum" tree that's over 1,000 years old. Planted by Master Zhang'an himself, it has continued to bloom every year for over 1,400 years. We were fortunate enough to visit in spring and experience the charm of the temple in the rain. · ⛰️Tiantai·Guoqing Temple 📍Guoqing Scenic Area, Tiantai County, Taizhou City, Zhejiang Province 🎫Free admission 🚗Parking lot available at the entrance 🌈Highlights: - The birthplace of the Tiantai Sect of Chinese Buddhism and a pilgrimage site for Japanese and Korean Tiantai Buddhists. - An exemplary Sui Dynasty architectural complex. The "Sui Dynasty Ancient Temple" plaque on the mountain gate was inscribed by Emperor Yongzheng, and the Ming Dynasty bronze statue of Sakyamuni in the Mahavira Hall weighs 13 tons. - Don't miss the "Three Treasures of the Temple": the thousand-year-old Sui Plum, the single-stroke "goose" character stele by Wang Xizhi, and the Qing Dynasty white marble lion. The stone lion is right at the entrance, covered in moss, with many people touching it. - The "Yixing Arrived Here, Water Flows West" inscription by the Tang Dynasty astronomy master Yixing is located near the Fenggan Bridge outside the temple. - Free tea is available inside the temple; you pour and wash your own cup. It was crowded, so we didn't get a chance to sit and enjoy tea while watching the rain. - There's a small lake behind the tea room with beautiful and serene scenery. · 🕐Opening hours: - 7:00–16:00 year-round (closes 30 mins earlier in winter) - Recommended visiting time: 2–4 hrs. Can be combined with a visit to Tiantai Mountain Scenic Area. · 🚗Getting there: - Take the high-speed train to Tiantai Mountain Station, then bus No. 7. - For self-driving, the Changtai Expressway is recommended, approx. 2.5 hrs from Hangzhou. - A 15-min walk along the rice paddy path in front of the temple adds to the Zen experience (navigate to "Guoqing Scenic Area Parking Lot"). · 💗Other tips: - The best time to admire the plum blossoms is from mid-February to early March. This season is perfect! - Morning chanting experience requires advance booking (starts daily at 4:30 am). The vegetarian dining hall opens at 11:00 am, offering all-you-can-eat for CNY 2 per bowl. - The Chronicles of Guoqing Temple is available at the temple shop. Tiantai cloud tea from farmers outside the temple is half the price of that in the scenic area shops. - Rainy days offer a unique charm, with mossy stone steps and rain hitting banana leaves, evoking the atmosphere of "Four Hundred and Eighty Temples of the Southern Dynasties." We were lucky to visit on a rainy day. - The scenic area is free, but parking is not. There were so many cars, and we were stuck in traffic for a long time.