Gushan & Yongquan Temple

鼓山涌泉寺

A famous mountain and millennium-old temple on Fuzhou's eastern outskirts. Climb the ancient path's 2,000-plus stone steps to Yongquan Temple, see the thousand-Buddha ceramic pagodas and cliff inscriptions, and overlook the Min River and the city.

Gushan lies in the east of Jin'an District on the north bank of the Min River, at about 900 m above sea level. It takes its name from a huge boulder on the summit that looks like a drum. It is the mountain Fuzhou residents climb most often. Halfway up is Yongquan Temple, first built in 908 under the Later Liang dynasty of the Five Dynasties. It is Fuzhou's largest Buddhist temple. In front of the gate stand a pair of Song dynasty ceramic thousand-Buddha pagodas, about 7 m tall with more than a thousand Buddha figures on their bodies. They are national-level cultural treasures. The Sutra Library holds Ming and Qing printed scriptures and blood-written sutras. The main hall was rebuilt in the Qing dynasty. Around the temple are Lingyuan Cave and Drinking Water Rock. The cliffs bear nearly 600 inscriptions from the Song dynasty onward, the most famous by Zhu Xi and Cai Xiang. To climb, follow the ancient path from the lower courtyard at the foot of the mountain. The 2,000-plus stone steps take about 1–1.5 hours to reach Yongquan Temple, the classic route for Fuzhou's 'climb Gushan' outing. You can also take the cable car or the scenic-area shuttle. A ticket to Yongquan Temple costs about 40 yuan, while Gushan itself is free. Beyond the temple, you can continue to the Eighteen Scenic Views and the summit viewpoint, which overlooks the Min River and Fuzhou. Take Metro Line 2 to Gushan Station, then transfer to a bus or walk to the lower courtyard trailhead. From the city center, a taxi takes about 30 minutes. Stone steps are slippery, and summer is humid and hot, so bring water. Vegetarian meals are served at the temple at lunchtime. On weekends the mountain is crowded, so go early in the morning.

Gushan & Yongquan Temple

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