Nanjing Attractions,Nanjing Popular Tourists Attractions Guide

Built in 514 and renovated in the Ming Dynasty, the enormous temple was seriously damaged; what one sees today is only part of the Dragon King Palace (Longwangdian) of the former grand temple. The present temple houses a memorial hall to the famous monk Xuan Zang, who once traveled to India on a pilgrimage for Buddhist scriptures. The Beamless Hall (Wuliangdian), measuring 22 meters high, 53.8 meters long, and 37.85 meters wide, is the only complete building left. It represents a masterpiece of ancient Chinese stone and brick architecture, erected entirely without wood or a single nail. Behind the hall stands the sixty-meter-high Linggu Pagoda, from which visitors can enjoy a panoramic view of the surrounding area and the dimly discernible city of Nanjing far off in the distance.

The monastery lies 1.5 kilometers east of Dr Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum and was built in 514 and was moved to the present location in 1381. In order to build his grand mausoleum on an auspicious site, the first Ming emperor, Zhuyuanzhang had first to remove the existing temple, the Lingguo Monastery, to its present wooded peak.

A magnificent Pailou or Archway leads to the hall. West of the hall is the flat Coiled Dragons Stone, found beside a nearby pool, on which monks meditated. The present Lingguo Monastery dates from the late Qing period and is occupied by a community of monks.

To the north of the Beamless Hall stands the nine-story Linggu Pagoda, which was constructed in 1929. For the energetic, the long climb to the top is rewarded with a magnificent view over wooded countryside.

Among archways, the ones with glazed tiles were viewed as more important. According to the laws of the Qing Dynasty, only the archways that fronted imperial buildings could have glazed-tiles. Today, a few glazed-tile archways still remain. There is one in Beihai Park, and in the Imperial Garden in the Forbidden City each.

In the ancient times, ordinary people were not allowed to run through the passageways; they had to slow their steps to a respectful walk. By some archways, there were stone slabs where official had to step down from their horses or carriages. It was only after the Qing Dynasty was overthrown that rickshaw boys could hurry through the archways.