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Hugging the banks of the Grand Canal, the small city of Changzhou is an atmospheric place where the quiet, narrow lanes and Buddhist temples of old China are only a few steps away from modern downtown bustle. Over 2,500 years old, many sights from its long history still dot the city.

Most famous is one of Jiangsu's largest historic Buddhist temples, the Tianning Temple (Heavenly Calm Temple), and next to the temple a complex of parks and ancient pagodas spread out amidst the canals and narrow alleys of the old city. The lanes and winding alleys alongside the grand Canal have changed little in centuries. Strolling through the one story, black tiled roofed traditional houses, you stumble on vignettes of the rhythms of traditional Chinese life - old women playing mah jongg games in their front parlors of, incense sellers, and street vendors selling trinkets to flocks of excited children leaving school. These old streets look out over the Grand Canal, still a trade artery and crowded with barges after over a thousand years. Changzhou's sights are conveniently clustered near downtown and along the grand Canal, and an afternoon's stroll can take you between them, making the city an easy day trip from Wuxi or Suzhou.

Tianning Temple
Reputed as the "Elephant Temple in the Dragon City", the Tianning Temple is a major Buddhist temple in the Yangtze Delta.

Located on Jiefang Road in the city of Changzhou, the Tianning Temple was built 1,350 years ago during the reign of Emperor Yonghui of the Tang Dynasty. Originally, the temple featured 33 halls and 24 pavilions and towers erected in an area of nine hectares. There still stand the Mahavira, Buddha's Warrior, Samantabhadra, Manjusri Guanyin and Arhat halls. The majestic Mahavira Hall, built during the Qing Dynasty, is 33 meters tall and 27 meters from the entrance to the back wall.

Ming Dynasty historyian, Xu Wen exclaimed that Tianning Temple is No.1 Buddhist Temple in Southeast China , which Dominated the Famous Spot of Three Wu with Magnificent Buildings.

Tianning Temple has been destroyed and rebuilt for five times during 1300 years. Magnificent buildings with a floor space of 6.7 hectares was formed during Tongzhi and Guangxu Periods of the Qing Dynasty. The temple covered an area of 8.7 hectares with 479 halls and rooms such as Hall of Heavenly Kings, Hall of Buddha's Warriors and etc. Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty worshiped Buddha in Tianning Temple three times.

One of the four largest Zen Buddhist temples, Tianning Temple covers a floor space of 6.7 hectares with more than seventy monks, who, are profound and strict in Buddhist services, which is well-known.

A large numbers of eminent monks were coming forth in Tianning Temple in various dynasties, such as Yuanying Master, Xingyu Master, Minzhi Master, who once studied Buddhism in the temple. Taiwan Buddhist elder Jiede was the supervisor of the temple and these eminent monks devoted their whole lives to Buddhists.

Mr. Zhao Puchu, chairman of China Buddhism Association advanced a very new Buddhist theory of Five Directions and Five Buddha praying fortune for China. Five Directions and Five Buddha imply Lingshan Grand Buddha in east, Leshan Grand Buddha in west, Hong Kong Grand Buddha in south, Yungang Grand Buddha in north and Longmen Grand Buddha in central China. If looking at the positions of the five directions of the five Buddha, Changzhou is exactly located in the heart position. Buddha can??t be heartless, so Changzhou Tianning Pagoda is the heart of Buddha, which connects the Five Directions and Five Buddha, bestowing the land with Buddhist light.

The No.1 Buddhist Pagoda in China, the Tianning Pagoda will be completed by the end of 2005 with a height of 153.79 meters.

Open Hours: 7:00 ?C 16:00
How to Get There: Bus No. 1, No.3, No.7 to Tianning Temple

   8 days Shanghai-Suzhou-Hangzhou-Wuzhen-Shanghai

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