--- title: "Temples in Suzhou: the best Buddhist temples to visit" url: https://popularinchina.com/culture/buddhism-in-china/temples/suzhou section: "Culture" type: answer updated: 2026-11-01 next_review: 2027-02-01 status: checked author: "The Popular in China desk" fact_checker: "Alex Liu" publisher: Popular in China (https://popularinchina.com) license: Quote with attribution and a link to https://popularinchina.com/culture/buddhism-in-china/temples/suzhou --- # Temples in Suzhou: the best Buddhist temples to visit _Suzhou is better known for its gardens, but it is also a city of temples and pagodas, several of them more than a thousand years old. Its most famous temple owes its fame to a single Tang poem about a bell heard at midnight. Here are the temples worth seeing, with the Taoist and Confucian ones nearby._ **Verdict: A city of bells and pagodas** (姑苏城外寒山寺) — ‘Hanshan Temple outside the city of Gusu’: the line from Zhang Ji’s Tang poem that made Suzhou’s best-known temple famous ## Short answer The best temples in Suzhou are Hanshan Temple, famous for the bell in Zhang Ji’s Tang poem, the West Garden Temple near the Lingering Garden, Lingyanshan Temple on Lingyan Mountain, and the old pagodas: the North Temple Pagoda, the Twin Pagodas and the leaning pagoda on Tiger Hill. Xuanmiao Guan is the city’s great Taoist temple. ## At a glance - **In Chinese:** 苏州寺庙 (Sūzhōu sìmiào), temples in Suzhou; Hanshan Temple is 寒山寺 (Hánshān Sì) - **Where:** Suzhou, Jiangsu province: the old city, Gusu and Wuzhong districts, and Suzhou Industrial Park - **Most famous:** Hanshan Temple, Fengqiao, Gusu District, about 5 km west of the old city - **Oldest pagoda:** Ruiguang Pagoda by Panmen Gate, traditionally dated to AD 247 - **Hanshan ticket:** 20 yuan, open 7:30 am to 6 pm (China Daily, April 2026) - **Getting there:** Hanshan: Metro Line 1 to Xihuanlu, exit 4, then a shuttle bus. Lingyanshan: Metro Line 5 to Lingyanshan Station ## Buddhist temples and pagodas in Suzhou Suzhou’s main Buddhist temples, and the temple pagodas that outlived the halls around them. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] | Temple | Chinese | District | Known for | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Hanshan Temple (Cold Mountain Temple) | 寒山寺 Hánshān Sì | Fengqiao, Gusu District | Founded, by tradition, in 502–519; its bell is the one in Zhang Ji’s poem ‘A Night Mooring by Maple Bridge’. New Year bell-ringing every 31 December. | | West Garden Temple | 西园寺 Xīyuán Sì (西园戒幢律寺) | Just west of the Lingering Garden | A temple first founded in the Yuan dynasty, known for its statues, its Arhat Hall and its Free Life Pond. | | Lingyanshan Temple | 灵岩山寺 Língyánshān Sì | Mudu, Wuzhong District | A Pure Land temple on top of Lingyan Mountain, founded in the Eastern Jin (317–420); by tradition the site of a palace of Xishi. | | Bao’en Temple and the North Temple Pagoda | 报恩寺 Bào’ēn Sì; 北寺塔 Běisì Tǎ | Suzhou | A nine-storey pagoda 76 m tall, designed in 1131–1162 and rebuilt in the Ming; the site goes back about 1,700 years. | | Twin Pagodas (Luohan Cloister) | 罗汉院双塔 Luóhàn Yuàn Shuāngtǎ | Suzhou | Two matching seven-storey brick pagodas of 982, about 30 m tall, with unusually long iron spires. | | Tiger Hill Pagoda (Yunyan Temple) | 虎丘塔 Hǔqiū Tǎ; 云岩寺 Yúnyán Sì | Tiger Hill | Seven storeys, 47 m tall, finished in 961; it leans about 3 degrees. The temple was founded in 327. | | Ruiguang Pagoda | 瑞光塔 Ruìguāng Tǎ | By Panmen Gate, south-west corner of the old city | Traditionally dated to AD 247, with simple Buddhist carvings at its base. | | Baosheng Temple | 保圣寺 Bǎoshèng Sì | Luzhi, Wuzhong District | Founded 503; nine surviving clay arhats attributed to the Tang sculptor Yang Huizhi, and a ginkgo said to be about 1,500 years old. | | Chongyuan Temple | 重元寺 Chóngyuán Sì | Yangcheng Lake, Suzhou Industrial Park | Founded in the 6th century and rebuilt from 2003, reopening in 2007; a 33 m gilded bronze Guanyin. | ## Taoist and Confucian temples in Suzhou | Temple | Chinese | District | Known for | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Xuanmiao Guan (Taoist) | 玄妙观 Xuánmiào Guàn | Guanqian Street, centre of the old city | Founded in 276 and renamed Xuanmiao Guan in 1264; the city’s great Taoist temple, on its best-known shopping street. | | Suzhou Confucian Temple (Confucian) | 苏州文庙 Sūzhōu Wénmiào | Central Suzhou, opposite the Canglang Pavilion garden | Founded in 1035 by Fan Zhongyan; now the Suzhou Stone Inscription Museum, with a Song star chart of about 1,440 stars. | ## Suzhou temples worth the trip **Hanshan Temple** is named after Hanshan (‘Cold Mountain’), a legendary monk and poet said to have arrived with his companion Shide in the 7th century. Its fame comes from Zhang Ji’s Tang poem ‘A Night Mooring by Maple Bridge’, in which a sleepless traveller on a boat at Fengqiao hears the temple bell at midnight; the poem is still widely read in China, Japan and Korea. Inside, look for the bell tower, the stele corridor carved with the poem, including the version by the Qing scholar Yu Yue, the Puming Pagoda, the temple’s highest point, and the Hanshi Hall, where people pray for love and family harmony. The temple’s New Year bell-ringing on 31 December reached its 46th edition in 2024. The **West Garden Temple** stands just west of the Lingering Garden, so the two make an easy pair. It is a large working temple known for its statues and Arhat Hall, and for its Free Life Pond, where two very old softshell turtles once lived. **Lingyanshan Temple** crowns Lingyan Mountain at Mudu, in Wuzhong District. It is a Pure Land temple founded, by tradition, in the Eastern Jin, about 1,600 years ago, on a hilltop said to have held a palace of Xishi, one of the legendary beauties of ancient China. Suzhou’s **pagodas** are some of the oldest in the region. The **North Temple Pagoda** at Bao’en Temple rises nine storeys to 76 m, with double eaves and flying corners. The **Twin Pagodas** of 982 are the main remains of the old Luohan Cloister; a Song joke compared them to writing brushes. The **Tiger Hill Pagoda**, finished in 961, leans about 3 degrees, its top 2.32 m off centre. See our guide to [Chinese pagodas](/culture/buddhism-in-china/pagodas). Out of town, **Baosheng Temple** in the town of Luzhi keeps nine clay arhats attributed to the Tang sculptor Yang Huizhi, listed as a national heritage site in 1961. **Chongyuan Temple** on Yangcheng Lake is a modern rebuild of a 6th-century temple; when it reopened in 2007 its main hall, 38 m high, was the largest and tallest temple main hall in China. Sources: [1][14][15][2][3][4][5][6][9][10] ## How to plan a temple day in Suzhou 1. **Start at Hanshan Temple early** — Open 7:30 am to 6 pm, with tickets at 20 yuan, or 10 yuan for students and seniors (China Daily, April 2026); holiday hours may differ. Take Metro Line 1 to Xihuanlu, exit 4, and a shuttle bus to the east gate. Early morning is quietest. Outside, the Maple Bridge scenic area is free. 2. **Pair a temple with a garden** — The West Garden Temple is just west of the Lingering Garden. The Confucian Temple faces the Canglang Pavilion garden, and Xuanmiao Guan sits on Guanqian Street in the middle of the old city. 3. **Add the pagodas** — The North Temple Pagoda and the Twin Pagodas are in the city; Ruiguang Pagoda stands by Panmen Gate at the south-west corner of the old city, and the leaning pagoda is on Tiger Hill. 4. **Go out of town for Lingyan Mountain** — Metro Line 5 runs to Lingyanshan Station at the edge of Mudu town. Luzhi, for Baosheng Temple, and Yangcheng Lake, for Chongyuan Temple, are further out. 5. **New Year’s Eve at Hanshan** — The bell-ringing on the night of 31 December is ticketed separately, at 100 yuan as of April 2026. Book early. For general manners inside, see our guide to [Chinese temples](/culture/buddhism-in-china/temples). Sources: [14][15][2][13][12][7][6][16][3] ## Questions **What is the most famous temple in Suzhou?** Hanshan Temple (寒山寺), at Fengqiao about 5 km west of the old city. It is famous for the bell in Zhang Ji’s Tang poem ‘A Night Mooring by Maple Bridge’, still widely read in China, Japan and Korea. **How much is the ticket for Hanshan Temple?** 20 yuan, or 10 yuan for students and seniors, with a 2-yuan discount if you book through the temple’s WeChat account, as of April 2026. The New Year’s Eve bell-ringing costs 100 yuan. Striking the bell in the bell tower costs 5 yuan for three strikes. **How do I get to Hanshan Temple?** Take Suzhou Metro Line 1 to Xihuanlu (西环路) station, exit 4, then a shuttle bus to the east gate. Buses 33, 301 and 307 and Tourist Line 3 also go there. **Why is Hanshan Temple famous?** Because of a Tang poem by Zhang Ji, ‘A Night Mooring by Maple Bridge’, in which a traveller moored at Fengqiao hears the temple bell at midnight. The temple holds a New Year bell-ringing every 31 December. **Is there a temple near the Lingering Garden?** Yes. The West Garden Temple (西园寺) is just west of the Lingering Garden. It is known for its Arhat Hall, its statues and its Free Life Pond. **What is the leaning pagoda in Suzhou?** The Tiger Hill Pagoda, the pagoda of the former Yunyan Temple. Finished in 961, it is seven storeys and 47 m tall, and leans about 3 degrees; its top is 2.32 m off centre. **What is the oldest pagoda in Suzhou?** Ruiguang Pagoda, near Panmen Gate, is traditionally dated to AD 247. The present North Temple Pagoda is Ming, on a site with about 1,700 years of history, and the Twin Pagodas date from 982. **Is there a Taoist temple in Suzhou?** Yes. Xuanmiao Guan (玄妙观) on Guanqian Street, in the centre of the old city, was founded in 276 and is Suzhou’s best-known Taoist temple. ## Sources 1. [Wikipedia, Hanshan Temple](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanshan_Temple) — accessed 2026-11-01 2. [Wikipedia, Xiyuan Temple](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiyuan_Temple) — accessed 2026-11-01 3. [Wikipedia, Lingyanshan Temple](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingyanshan_Temple) — accessed 2026-11-01 4. [Wikipedia, Beisi Pagoda](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beisi_Pagoda) — accessed 2026-11-01 5. [Wikipedia, Twin Pagodas (Suzhou)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twin_Pagodas_(Suzhou)) — accessed 2026-11-01 6. [Wikipedia, Tiger Hill Pagoda](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_Hill_Pagoda) — accessed 2026-11-01 7. [Wikipedia, Panmen (Ruiguang Pagoda)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruiguang_Pagoda) — accessed 2026-11-01 8. [Wikipedia, Baosheng Temple](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baosheng_Temple) — accessed 2026-11-01 9. [Wikipedia, Chongyuan Temple](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chongyuan_Temple) — accessed 2026-11-01 10. [Wikipedia, Yunyan Temple (Suzhou)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yunyan_Temple_(Suzhou)) — accessed 2026-11-01 11. [Wikipedia, Lingyan Mountain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingyan_Mountain) — accessed 2026-11-01 12. [Wikipedia, Xuanmiao Temple](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xuanmiao_Temple) — accessed 2026-11-01 13. [Wikipedia, Suzhou Confucian Temple](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzhou_Confucian_Temple) — accessed 2026-11-01 14. [China Daily (China Bound), Following the midnight bell: a visitor’s guide to Hanshan Temple (28 April 2026)](https://www.chinabound.cn/s/202604/28/WS69f0c0a9498e23165e06f180/following-the-midnight-bell-a-visitors-guide-to-hanshan-temple.html) — accessed 2026-11-01 15. [China Daily, Hanshan Temple lights up to welcome the new year (30 December 2024)](https://www.chinaservicesinfo.com/s/202412/30/WS67723cc6498eec7e1f72bf14/hanshan-temple-lights-up-to-welcome-the-new-year.html) — accessed 2026-11-01 16. [Wikipedia, Lingyanshan station](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingyanshan_station) — accessed 2026-11-01 ## Related - https://popularinchina.com/culture/buddhism-in-china/temples - https://popularinchina.com/culture/buddhism-in-china/pagodas - https://popularinchina.com/culture/buddhism-in-china/temples/shanghai - https://popularinchina.com/culture/buddhism-in-china/temples/hangzhou - https://popularinchina.com/culture/buddhism-in-china/temples/xian --- Canonical page: https://popularinchina.com/culture/buddhism-in-china/temples/suzhou