Xinchang Dafo Temple

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Xinchang County is a county under the jurisdiction of Shaoxing City, located in the hinterland of the eastern Zhejiang mountainous region. It borders Fenghua and Ninghai to the east, Tiantai to the south, Dongyang and Pan’an to the southwest, and Shengzhou to the northwest. Surrounded by mountains and crisscrossed by streams, the terrain here is varied and undulating, making it one of the famous scenic spots in eastern Zhejiang since ancient times. During this National Day holiday, taking advantage of the toll-free expressways, I decided to avoid those crowded popular attractions and chose a few relatively lesser-known places with a slower pace—thus selecting Xinchang, Tiantai, and Ninghai for my itinerary. Although there were indeed significantly fewer tourists compared to hot destinations like Hangzhou, compared to my visit during the pandemic, visitor traffic at major scenic areas has now recovered or even surpassed previous levels, and the sites remain bustling with activity.

In Xinchang, the most representative scenic spots are undoubtedly the Nineteen Peaks and Dafo Temple (Great Buddha Temple). I had visited both during my last trip to Xinchang, but at that time, the Great Buddha—the highlight of Dafo Temple—was under renovation. Revisiting Dafo Temple after a few years, I finally got to see the Great Buddha. Unlike last time, a massive underground parking lot has been built at Gushan Park, not far from the scenic area, offering ample parking spaces. Moreover, coming up to the first floor of the parking lot reveals many restaurants; I tried one called ‘Impression Xinchang,’ which turned out to be quite distinctive and satisfying in taste. It only takes a few minutes to walk from the parking lot to the scenic area entrance.

Actually, the entire scenic area is not very large. The main attractions are the Great Buddha and the Reclining Buddha, with a Buddha Heart Square in between serving as a commercial zone featuring convenience stores, noodle shops, and a boutique hotel that houses an upscale vegetarian restaurant. Electric shuttle cars are available to travel between Buddha Heart Square and the main gate, but since the Reclining Buddha is located midway between the gate and the square, it is recommended to take the shuttle only one way—either entering or exiting.

Dafo Temple is one of the important Buddhist monasteries in Han Chinese regions of China, boasting a long history. It was founded during the Yonghe era of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (345 AD), when the high monk Tanguang, influenced by Zhu Daoqian and Zhi Dun, came to Shicheng Mountain drawn by its reputation and established the ‘Yinyue Temple.’ In the sixth year of Tianjian of the Southern Liang Dynasty (507 AD), Prince Xiao Wei of Jian’an dispatched the monk Sengyou to oversee the carving project of the Buddha statue, which was completed in the fifteenth year of Tianjian (516 AD). Built through the relay efforts of three generations of high monks, the Great Buddha as seen today was formed, earning it the name ‘Sacred Traces of Three Lives.’

In fact, within the Dafo Temple scenic area, only the section housing the Great Buddha and the Thousand Buddha Zen Temple date back to ancient times; the rest are newly constructed around the Great Buddha. Among them, Asia’s largest Reclining Buddha was first built in 2003. Carved into the existing rock face utilizing a natural cave, it depicts the Buddha’s Nirvana in an auspicious reclining posture. Facing west, the Reclining Buddha measures 37 meters in length and 9 meters in height, embodying the serene, tranquil, and perfectly wise scene of the World-Honored One entering Nirvana under the Sal trees by the Hiranyavati River in Kushinagar. The statue integrates seamlessly with the natural mountain landscape.