Yuquan Temple (Dangyang)

Ancient Sui-dynasty temple, reportedly ranked with Qixia, Lingyan, and Guoqing as one of the 'Four Great Wonders' under heaven; a nationally protected key cultural site. The Mahavira Hall is said to be a surviving Yuan-dynasty structure (according to records), while the 13-story Yuquan Iron Pagoda, cast during the Jiayou era of the Northern Song, has stood for nearly a thousand years without toppling — its ironwork craftsmanship was the finest of its age. According to records, it was first founded by Chan Master Pujing in the Eastern Han; in the Sui dynasty, Master Zhiyi lectured and wrote here, making it an important ancestral monastery of the Tiantai school. Buddhist relics were once unearthed from the iron pagoda's underground palace, and Pearl Spring before the temple sends up strings of pearl-like bubbles — the hall, pagoda, and spring are together known as the 'Three Wonders.'

Getting there: transfer to a shuttle bus from Dangyang Station / about 30 minutes by self-drive