Xinchang Dafo Temple Scenic Area is located on the side of Nanming Mountain, adjacent to Xinchang County. It is not just a typical ancient temple with a history of a thousand years, but also a well-developed tourist area. In addition to the Maitreya statue and the five-story Dafo Hall, there are more than ten scenic spots including the Fossil Dinosaur Park, Shuanglin Grottoes, and She Diao Village, offering a rich variety of landscapes.
Not far from the entrance of the scenic area, there is a fork to the right leading to She Diao Village, where the buildings are arranged according to the scenes in ‘The Legend of the Condor Heroes’. You can visit Yang Tiexin’s hometown Niujiacun, Lu Chengfeng’s Guiyun Village, and the Beggar’s Sect Xuanyuantai, reminiscing about the plot of the book. To the north of She Diao Village is the Fossil Dinosaur Park, where this fossil forest (silicified wood) has a tree age of over a hundred million years, and it is still possible to clearly see the traces of lightning strikes and insect damage from ancient times, making it a precious paleontological relic in Xinchang and worth a visit. Heading towards Mingjing Lake, continue to visit the Shuanglin Grottoes. This grotto is newly constructed on the cliff halfway up the mountain. Climbing the steps, there are huge reliefs of the哼哈二将 on the cliff wall, and inside the reclining Buddha hall of the grotto, there is a reclining Buddha statue with a peaceful demeanor, surrounded by intricate reliefs on the ceiling, which are quite exquisite. Shuanglin Grotto has a small platform with stone benches for rest, where you can overlook Mingjing Lake below and gaze at the Dafo Hall in the distance, offering a broad view. On the tour path, you can see from afar a joyful Maitreya stone statue among the green trees in the mountains. If you approach it, you will find six small stone sculptures of Maitreya with different shapes next to the open-air Maitreya, where many tourists like to take photos. The nearby Cave of Five Hundred Arhats is also worth visiting. Further to the right, there are scenic spots such as Qiguang Jingyuan, Banruo Valley, and Dizang Hall, which can be visited along the way, circling back to the classic Dafo Hall, or directly climbing up the main road in the middle for a shorter distance. It is astonishing that the five-story wooden structure outside and the grotto inside are perfectly integrated, with a 16-meter-high stone Maitreya statue enshrined inside. The statue was carved during the Southern Dynasties, with a splendid golden color, and is known as the ‘First Great Buddha of Jiangnan’, predating the Leshan Giant Buddha in Sichuan by 200 years. Next to the Dafo Hall, by the release pond, there is the Memorial Tower of Master Zhi, which was originally built during the Sui Dynasty. To the northwest of Dafo Temple, there is Qianfo Temple, with more than a thousand vivid small Buddha statues, with a history even older than the Great Buddha. Baiyun Villa at the entrance of the scenic area is one of the good local hotels, and it is worth considering staying here, with standard rooms costing around three to four hundred yuan. Opening hours: 05/01-09/30 06:00-17:30; 10/01-04/30 06:00-17:00.Free for those under 2 meters (inclusive). Concessionary tickets for those between 1.2 meters (exclusive) and 1.5 meters (exclusive). Elderly: Free for those aged 70 or above with valid ID. Concessionary tickets for those aged 60 to 69 with valid ID. Students: Concessionary tickets for minors aged 6 to 18 (exclusive) and full-time undergraduates and below with student ID and ID card. Disabled people: Free with valid certificates.
Active-duty military personnel: Free with valid certificates. Shaoxing citizens: Free for Shaoxing citizens with ID cards on non-holiday days. (Local citizens still need to buy tickets normally during golden weeks (Spring Festival, National Day) and short holidays (New Year’s Day, Qingming Festival, May Day, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival)). Supplementary note: The above information is for reference only. The specific situation is subject to the scenic area on site.
Service facilities: Parking lot: [Xinchang Grand Buddha Temple Parking Lot]. Reference price: ¥30/time. Address: Entrance of Grand Buddha Temple scenic area. Parking spaces: 400. Small vehicles cost 20 yuan/time and large vehicles cost 30 yuan/time. Mother-baby room: Address: Third toilet in the scenic area.
