Suzhou Hanshan Temple, a temple gave birth to a poem, and a poem made a temple

"The moon sets, crows cry, and frost fills the sky. The maples on the river bank and the fishing fires make me sleep in sorrow. Outside the city of Gusu, the bell of Hanshan Temple rings at midnight, reaching the passenger ship." Among the countless bells of famous temples, the one that makes people yearn for the most is Hanshan Temple in the west of Suzhou. Anyone who travels to Suzhou, whether they believe in Buddhism or not, wants to visit Hanshan Temple. When you walk into Hanshan Temple, you can see poems of "Night Mooring at Maple Bridge" written by different famous artists in different fonts everywhere. Hanshan Temple was first built during the Tianjian period of the Liang Dynasty (502-527) and was formerly known as Fengqiao Temple. During the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty, two eminent monks, Hanshan and Shide, came here from Tiantai, Zhejiang Province to serve as abbots, and the temple was named "Hanshan Temple". It became famous all over the world thanks to the Tang Dynasty poet Zhang Ji. When Zhang Ji went to Beijing to take the imperial examination, he failed and returned home in depression. On the way he passed through Suzhou, he stayed overnight at Fengqiao. The scene moved him and he wrote the eternal masterpiece "Night Mooring at Fengqiao", which inadvertently made Hanshan Temple famous. The bronze bell of Hanshan Temple has become the focus of attention of tourists and pilgrims. The Tang Dynasty bronze bell has been destroyed. It was recast during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty. Tang Yin described the bell as having a loud sound that could be heard from ten miles away. But this bronze bell no longer exists. Some people say it was stolen by Japanese ronin. In the 31st year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu (1905), Hanshan Temple was rebuilt. The Japanese raised funds to cast two bronze bells imitating the Tang Dynasty style. One was sent to Hanshan Temple and the other was kept in Kanzan Temple in Japan. Today, the bronze bell is still hanging on the right side of the main hall of Hanshan Temple. Hanshan Temple is surrounded by water on three sides and is close to the Fengqiao Scenic Area. The buildings in the temple are ancient and quaint. The Main Hall, Sutra Library, Bell Tower, Stele Gallery, Fengjiang Tower, Big Bell Tower and Puming Pagoda are arranged in sequence. There is a ridge eaves on the wall, decorated with swimming dragons, which is very imposing. There are many historical sites in the temple, including the stele inscriptions of Zhang Ji's poems, the stone statues of Hanshan and Shide, and the fragments of inscriptions written by Wen Zhengming and Tang Bohu. Hanshan Temple is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction and is listed as one of the top ten temples in China due to its historical relics. In December 2008, Hanshan Temple won two world records: the world's "largest poetry stele" and "largest Buddhist bell". The "first stone stele in China", the "Night Mooring at Maple Bridge" poem stele, weighs 388 tons. The "No. 1 Buddhist Bell in the World" weighs 108 tons. 📍Detailed address: No. 24, Hanshan Temple Lane, Suzhou, Jiangsu [MapleLeaf] Ticket price: 18 yuan 🕙Opening hours: 7:30-17:00 (ticket sales stop at 16:30) ⏳Reference time: 1 hour