Built during the reign of emperor Tianjian (502-519)
of the Liang Dynasty, Cold Mountain Temple is located in the town
of Fengqiao, 5km (3 miles) west of Suzhou.
It is named after Hanshan, one of two high priests
of the Tang dynasty (618-907) who is said to have lived and conducted
prayer services here. Tang poet Zhang Ji also eternalized this temple
with his famous poem ‘Anchorage by the Maple Bridge’ describing
the sound of the temple’s bell.
Among the relics found at this temple are a replica
of the famous bell, stone statues of Hanshan and his friend Shide
as well as an archive of Buddhist scriptures.
