Chinese Buddhism's birthplace remains a place of pilgrimage

A Buddhist burns joss sticks to worship at Guoqing Temple.[Photo provided to China Daily]

A pair of lions perched on marble orbs rather than blocks portray traditional gender roles. The male clamps its claws into an embroidered ball, symbolizing dominance, while the female frolics with a cub, epitomizing nurturing.

The main complex of the temple was rebuilt in 1734, under orders from Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) emperor Yongzheng. The temple boasts many precious historical relics, such as ancient Buddha statues and 18 arhats carved from golden-thread Chinese cedar.

The temple is so integral to Tiantai Buddhism that two pits, ground out by the knees of so many pious believers, pock mark the stone floor of a main hall. The hall enshrines a rotund Maitreya in front of a bronze likeness of the temple guardian, Wei Tuo. (But you have to remove a cushion to see the dimples.)

About 20 kilometers away from the temple is the 6.5-square-kilometer Shiliang Scenic Area. It features streams and waterfalls gushing from granite landforms.

The first pages of the travelogue by ancient China's Indiana Jones－explorer Xu Xiake－begin with the Tiantai Mountains and the surrounding terrain.

The Shiliang Flying Waterfall that erupts from a precipice near the range astonished the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) sojourner, who recorded three decades of discoveries on the road in Xu Xiake's Travels.