Lingyin Temple has a long history and is known for its bustling incense. This Lingyin Temple guide will provide you with detailed instructions on how to pay respects, make sincere wishes, appreciate the architectural features and cultural significance, and choose the best time and location for praying, to make your pilgrimage a complete success.
If you're ever in Hangzhou, a visit to Lingyin Temple is a must. As one of the most famous and prosperous temples in China, there are always throngs of pilgrims every day. I've failed to enter on three impulsive occasions before, really discouraged by the crowds ❗️. But this time around, I've prepared sufficiently and gained access smoothly. Therefore, if you're planning to go as well, keep this guide close at hand ‼️
🎫 Ticket Information
Lingyin Temple is within the Feilaifeng Scenic Area, so you need to purchase two tickets: Feilaifeng 45 (buy online at Hangzhou West Lake Scenic Area official account) + Lingyin Temple 30 (scan the code offline, also known as incense and flower voucher).
⚠️ Tips: Students need to bring their ID to purchase tickets in person at the window.
The Feilaifeng Scenic Area ticket also includes Yongfu Temple and Taoguang Temple, which you can visit if you have time.
🕐Opening Hours
Doors open at 6:30 am, ticket sales stop at 5:30 pm, ticket check stops at 5:45 pm, cleaning starts at 6:00 pm, and doors close at 6:15 pm. (There are night tours on the night before the lunar 1st and 15th of each month from 7:30 pm to 1:30 am.)
🚌 Transportation Information
📍Bus: Take the Lingyin Special Line (Many bus routes to choose from; the one that is closest to you, many people choose the special line at the B exit of the Huanglong Sports Center subway station) or public transport No. 7 / No. 7w, etc., and get off at Lingyin.
📍Taxi: Before 8:00 am, navigate to the Lingyin Department Store (next to the entrance of the Feilaifeng Scenic Area); after 8:00 am, traffic is restricted, and you can only park at Lingyin Parking Lot No. 32 and walk for about 700m to the entrance (or take a shuttle bus for 2 yuan).
⚠️ So, if you can get up early, getting there before 6 or 7 am means less queueing and less walking, so better hurry up‼️
🙏 Praying Tips
The process usually involves inviting incense➡️Lighting incense➡️Holding incense➡️Making a wish➡️Bowing three times➡️Burning incense➡️Kneeling and bowing (see pictures for detailed etiquette).
📍Tianwang Hall: Pray for safety and peace.
📍Daxiong Baodian Hall: All requests can be made to the facing Shakyamuni Buddha; the back views of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva are for childbearing and marriage.
📍Yaoshi Hall: Praying for good health and longevity.
📍Huayan Hall: Praying for academic and career success.
In addition, Jigong Hall is for good luck, Galan Hall is for financial prospects, and the Five Hundred Arhats Hall is for safety and prosperity (fortune-telling or fortune-telling solutions are available).
⚠️ Precautions
1⃣️ No blowing incense with your mouth, no stepping on thresholds, no taking pictures of Buddha statues, and no loud noise.
2⃣️ Dress properly and refrain from wearing revealing clothing.
3⃣️ Three free sticks of incense are available to take within the temple, no purchasing on the outside or bringing it in.
4⃣️ There is a place to buy water within the temple, 2 rmb for pure water. In the summer, you can also get a bottle of Xifushui for free in front of the Huayan Hall.
5⃣️ Eighteen-seed hand beads can be bought at the Faming Marketplace stall inside the temple, for 46 rmb.
6⃣️ You can offer paper bills to the merit box or coins to the wishing pool.
7⃣️ Be sure to guard against mosquitoes as they bite quite hard in the mountains. 😭
