As Qingming Festival is coming, Lingyin Temple, as one of the ten most famous ancient Buddhist temples in China, is crowded with people going there for pray. It is a holy land for Buddhist to mourn the departed and pray for the living. 

Lingyin Temple, with its another name Yunlin Temple, was built by an Indian monk Huili in 326 AD during the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420AD). At that time, the monk came to Hangzhou and found the mountain here was exquisite and extraordinary, thinking it was where the immortal haunted. So he built a temple neaby and called it Lingyin Temple (Temple of Inspired Seclusion).

In Qing Dynasty (1616-1912), when the Emperor Qianlong travalled to the south, he climbed the north peak of Lingyin Mountain to have a bird view of the beautiful site below. He found the cloud permeated the whole temple and made it serene and seclusive. Thus he granted the name Yunlin Temple (Temple Surrounded by Seas of Clouds). The plaque of this name still sat on the beam of Hall of Heavenly Kings.

Lingyin Temple at present was re-built on its former site. There are Hall of Heavenly Kings, Hall of the Great Buddha and Medicine Hall on its central axis. Every Halls has its own Buddha stitting on the center to accept believers' worship. 

The temple also houses various Buddhist literature and treasures including the scriptures written on pattra leaves, the Diamond Sutra copied by Dong Q ichang in the Ming Dynasty, a wood cut edition published in the Qing Dynasty.

So if you have no place to go in the coming day-off, you can go to Lingyin Temple to experience the mysterious Buddhism culture.