Subsequent to finishing my teaching duties in January 2009, and prior to Spring Festival, which I celebrated in Hong Hu City Hubei, I travelled to SuZhou and Wuxi to see some friends.
During my visit to Suzhou, I went to HanShan Temple. Although I have previously taken photos of the exterior of the place, this time I actually entered the complex, and today I will show you some of those photographs.
This first photograph was taken in April of 2007 and shows the HanShan pagoda as seen from the Bridge on the main road. Today however, there is a Bell Tower and Stele situated between Hanshan Temple and the main road. Photographs of the Bell Tower appear further down.
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| The View before the Bell Tower and Stele were erected |
This photograph and the following three are of the Pagoda, and are taken from both inside and outside of it. From the top floor you get quite a good look at the city, not to mention all the other buildings in the complex.
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| The Pagoda at HanShan Temple Suzhou |
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| The Pagoda at HanShan Temple Suzhou |
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| Buddha inside the Pagoda at HanShan Temple |
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| One view from the Pagoda. |
These next two photographs are of the interiors of a couple of different temples within the complex, and show the richness of the presentation. Lest you think that everything in this place is just for show, it is worth pointing out that people do in fact worship in these places, and one should be careful not to disturb the locals at prayer.
This particular photograph below, may not be as stunning as some of the others, but I like it, because I just love cultural relics. The relic in the foreground dates back to within just a few years of the founding of the People's Republic of China, whilst the white stele behind it dates back (from memory) to the Song or Tang Dynasty.
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| Two relics of ancient days. One is hundreds of years old. |
This next shot is of the exterior of a little temple that was quite ornate and I present some of the interior shots at Kingscalendar. There is actually quite a lot to see within the complex, and you can spend quite a long time taking it all in.
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| One small temple inside the HanShan Temple complex |
Like all tourist traps, the main managerial purpose is to get your money. When you go to HanShan temple, you can buy an admittance ticket for as low as 20 rmb per person. That ticket however only permits you to wander freely within a limited area. Surrounding this complex there are other little places that require additional entrance fees. Were you to visit them all you would probably pay around 100 rmb per person. This next shot was taken from outside the admittance area (we were too stingy to pay a fee), and is of the remnants of the old city Gates on the grand canal.
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| Remnant of the Ancient City Gate on the Canal by HanShan Temple |
This shot, taken from the bridge over the little canal behind HanShan Temple, is of another complex into which you enter after paying the appropriate fee.
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| Another separate area that requires another entrance fee. |
This is a shot of the Bell Tower and Stele. They are a part of the overall complex, and at the time we entered it had not been fully completed, so I don't know if one day there will be a fee to enter.
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| Stele and Bell Tower HanShan Temple Suzhou |
Best Project of Great World DSJJNS
The Largest Stele Inscribed with Poem
Total height: 15.855 m
Body Dimension: 10.215 x 5.319 x 1.281m
This Stele is made of Shandong Jiaxiang Blue Stone, and composed of stele cap, stele body and stele pedestal. Its facade is engraved with Zhang Ji's (Tang Dynasty) poem To Moor at Night at the Maple Bridge inscribed by Yu Yue (Qing Dynasty); while the back is engraved with The Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra (Prajnaparamita Hridaya Sutra in Sanskrit) handwritted by Emperor Qianlong (Qing Dynasty).
Produced by Suzhou Geshi Artistic Engraving Studio.
Installed in the Great Bell Garden of Suzhou Hanshan Temple on June 30, 2007
Wang Yizhuo (Sealed)
Cai Feng (Signature)
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| Sign in Chinese |
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| Chen Meirong and Jerry ringing the Bell in the Bell Tower |
Best Project of Great World DSJJNS
The Largest Buddhist Bell
Max. Dia. 5.242m
Height: 8.608m Weight: 108t
This Bell body is engraved with the 70094 words of lotus sutra (Saddharmapundarikasutra in Sanskrit).
Produced by Wuhan Heavy Industry Foundry.
Hanged in the Great Bell Garden of Suzhou Hanshan Temple on September 28,2007
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| Jerry inspecting some of the old bells |
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| Yours Truly and Chen Meirong on the bridge over the canal at Hanshan Temple |
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| Bell Tower Hanshan Temple Area |
This particular area in Suzhou is very scenic. There are plenty of sites to see even if you choose not to pay to enter them. After we left the Bell Tower section, we headed back toward town. We deviated somewhat to take a look at the progress of the side canal that had been blocked off in 2007, and that deviation was fortuitous, for it delayed us enough for me to get a shot of these monks on the street. Whilst there are plenty in the Temple area, it is not often that you see them on the street. I took this photo quite unobtrusively, and was suprised to note that it turned out so well. It was actually taken from some distance. They were, I might add, a nice bunch of guys; a comment worth noting for the inherent converse implication.
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| Monks on the street heading back to study |
For More, Different and Larger Photos visit Kingscalendar.
R.P.BenDedek
Email: rpbendedek@hotmail.com
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R.P.BenDedek is the pseudonym of the Author of 'The King's Calendar: The Secret of Qumran' (http://www.kingscalendar.com/), and is a guest columnist at Magic City Morning Star News. An Australian, he currently teaches Conversational English in China.
Stories from China at Magic City
"The King's Calendar" is a chronological study of the historical books of the Bible (Kings and Chronicles), Josephus, Seder Olam Rabbah, and the (Essene) Damascus Document of The Dead Sea Scrolls.
