Travel through a thousand years between Hanging Temple and the Underground Wonderland in Jiande, Hangzhou

While crowds fill West Lake, I found an aerial miracle in Jiande that even the Hanging Temple in Shanxi pales beside—the temple is embedded in a 100-meter cliff, and the karst caves hide the secret realm of Journey to the West. This small city holds so many underestimated wonders. 🗺️ One-day travel route 🏞️ Highlights connection line (7-hour efficient version) Morning: Daci Rock Cableway up the mountain → Hanging Temple Cloud Sea Viewing → Natural Standing Buddha Viewing Platform → Xingxiang Zhai Ancient Music Appreciation Afternoon: Lingxi Cave Explore the underground palace → Monet Garden Flower Sea Photography → Karst Cave Moon Exploration Check-in Spot 🎑 Deep immersion line (2-day slow travel version) DAY 1: Daci Rock Hiking → Red Wall Photography → Stay at Xin’an River Night Tour DAY 2: Lingxi Cave Journey to the West Tracing → Shouchang Ancient Town Old Street Stroll → Jiangnan Hanging Village Ancient Visit 🏯 Daci Rock’s Triple Wonders ▎ Hanging Temple — Faith in the Air • Yuan Dynasty ancient temple suspended on a 147-meter cliff with mortise and tenon structure; the temple’s bottom pillars are thinner than a bowl’s mouth • Best photo spot: Mid-cableway aerial shot, the temple and abyss form a deadly diagonal ▎ Natural Standing Buddha — Mountain Zen A Bodhisattva statue naturally formed from the entire mountain rock, shrouded in Buddha light in autumn morning mist Buddha-seeking tip: Look back from "Listening to the Spring Pavilion" to see the Buddha’s lowered gaze ▎ Thousand-year-old Ginkgo The canopy covers half an acre, golden leaves fall like rain in late October View from the second floor window of Xingxiang Zhai; during National Day, there are Hanfu flute and xiao performances (2:00 PM/4:00 PM two sessions) 🕳️ Lingxi Cave Magical World ▎ Karst Cave Trilogy • Lingquan Cave: Boat through the underground dark river, see stalactites reflected like a glass palace • Qingfeng Cave: Filming location of the Bull Demon King’s lair in the 1986 Journey to the West • Aiyun Cave: New Galaxy Moonlight Lantern Show, stalactite clusters become an interstellar battlefield ▎ Monet Garden 2,000㎡ flower sea integrated into karst ecology, water lily pond collides with steel pavilion Outfit suggestion: pure white long dress + straw hat for a dappled light oil painting effect 🍜 Jiande Flavor Archive ▎ Mountain Wild Flavors • Daci Rock Vegetarian Cuisine: Ginkgo stewed tofu (using fruit from the thousand-year-old ginkgo tree) • Hanging Tea House: Cliff wild tea (ancient tea trees growing in temple crevices) ▎ Local Classics ✅ Yanzhou dried vegetable duck: stewed slowly with preserved vegetables and old duck ✅ Xin’an River white fish: steamed river fish with snow vegetable and bamboo shoots ✅ Shouchang fried rice noodles: stir-fried over a wood fire stove, full of wok hei ▎ Secret Realm Experience Lingxi Cave exit Earth Core Coffee: enjoy cold brew in the karst cave extension Shouchang Ancient Town Tofu Bun: steamed in a century-old stove, bursting with hot juice 💡 Travel Tips 🚗 Transportation 1.5 hours by car from Hangzhou; Daci Rock and Lingxi Cave are 40 minutes apart by car High-speed rail to Jiande Station, then transfer to a tourist shuttle for convenience 🎟️ Money-saving Tips Buy a combo ticket to save 30 yuan; choose one-way cableway up (hiking down is easier) After 4:00 PM, fewer people at Lingxi Cave, and the lighting effects are even more magical 📸 Photography Use telephoto lens to compress space at Hanging Temple; prepare phone fill light inside the cave Shoot Monet Garden against the light to make petals appear translucent When the autumn breeze brushes the thousand-year-old ginkgo When stalactites grow in the dark You realize this small city Hides all its wonders In the rarely visited corners