This ancient Buddhist temple in Shaoxing, Zhejiang, is home to the largest stone Buddha in Jiangnan

Xin Chang Da Fo Temple was built in the Eastern Jin Dynasty and has a history of over 1,600 years. The temple is known for its stone carvings, including the largest stone Buddha in Jiangnan, the largest reclining Buddha in Asia, and the only early stone carvings in southern China. It is known as the "Dunhuang of Yue" and is comparable to the Yungang Grottoes and Longmen Grottoes. The temple is not only rich in history and culture, but is also a filming location for many movies and TV shows, including Black Myth: Wukong. 📍Location: No. 117, Renmin West Road, Chengguan Town, Xinchang County, Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province 🚎Transportation: From Hangzhou to Xin Chang Da Fo Temple Scenic Area: Take the airport bus from Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport to Xinchang, then take bus No. 8 from Xinchang Passenger Transport Center to Dafucheng Station. Walk about 200 meters. The journey takes about 2 hours and 30 minutes. From Shengzhou Passenger Transport Center to Xin Chang Da Fo Temple Scenic Area: (Shengzhou is a county-level city under the jurisdiction of Shaoxing) Take bus No. 51 from Shengzhou, then transfer to bus No. 8 from Xinchang. Walk about 300 meters. The journey takes about 1 hour and 10 minutes. ✔️Tour route: Enter through the main gate of the scenic area ➡️ Shuanglin Grottoes ➡️ Qianfo Zen Temple ➡️ Foxin Square ➡️ Da Fo Temple ➡️ Foxin Square ➡️ Prajna Valley ➡️ Qiguang Jingyuan ➡️ Foxin Square ➡️ Fushan Shengjing ➡️ Exit through the main gate of the scenic area ✅The route is about 7 km long and takes 3-5 hours. It covers all areas of the scenic area. It requires some physical exertion, so it is recommended that elderly people and children choose carefully. 🚟The scenic area tour bus costs CNY 5. It runs from the ticket checkpoint to Foxin Square and back, a distance of about 800 meters. Walking takes about 10 minutes. The tour bus route is short and misses Shuanglin Grottoes, so it is not recommended to take it when entering the scenic area. It can be considered when leaving. 🌟Scenic area highlights: 1️⃣"Jiangnan's largest Buddha" stone carving of Maitreya. The Maitreya statue was built during the Southern Qi and Liang Dynasties, about 1,500 years ago. It was carved by three generations of monks, Senghu, Sengshu, and Sengyou, over 30 years, and is known as the "Three Lives Sacred Relic." The statue is 16 meters tall, with a distance of 10.6 meters between the knees and a head height of 4.8 meters, accounting for nearly one-third of the entire body. At that time, Sengyou used the "eye measurement and heart calculation" method to solve the visual error of people looking up, fully demonstrating the exquisite carving skills. 2️⃣Qianfo Zen Temple is one of the oldest grotto temples in the Da Fo Temple Scenic Area. The entire grotto is made of volcanic tuff, formed by volcanic eruptions in special weather conditions. This type of landform accounts for the majority of the Da Fo Temple Scenic Area, making it a "holographic archive of volcanic landforms." 3️⃣Asia's largest reclining Buddha: Walking along the plank road of Qianfo Zen Temple, you can reach the modern excavated grotto, Asia's largest reclining Buddha. You can feel the integration of the Buddha statue and the mountain, with the Buddha appearing peaceful, serene, and wise. 4️⃣Stone carvings: Although they are now damaged, they still retain the style of the Southern Dynasties, with over a thousand vivid small Buddha statues. The stone carvings are the essence and representative of Da Fo Temple. The most essential "Jiangnan's largest Buddha" stone carving of Maitreya in the scenic area has a long history, excavated in 486 AD, over 1,500 years ago, more than 200 years earlier than the Leshan Giant Buddha and 9 years earlier than the Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang. It is the only remaining great achievement of early grotto art in Jiangnan and one of the oldest indoor stone-carved Buddhas in the world. 5️⃣Chenghuang Temple was built in the Song Dynasty and relocated here from the west gate of the county in 1986. It has 11 Ming Dynasty stone statues, a stage, a mountain gate, and more. 6️⃣Prajna Valley was originally an underground quarry in the Ming Dynasty. In modern times, it uses Prajna culture to showcase a giant historical scroll of the Sinicization of Buddhism. 7️⃣Maitreya Buddha: The natural mountain and artificial head are perfectly combined, with the mountain resembling a Buddha and the Buddha resembling a mountain, also known as "Fushan Shengjing." 8️⃣Jingzhong Mountain, formerly known as Guabangyan, offers a view of the entire city and is a witness to the War of Resistance Against Japan.