The Four Wonders of Tiantai: Morning Bells and Evening Drums, a Serene Ancient Temple Deep in the Mountains

"The pines of Guoqing, the wind of Tatou, The pillars of Wannian, the bell of Gaoming" are known as the Four Wonders of Mount Tiantai. Gaoming Chan Temple is famous for its bell sound. Legend has it that Master Zhizhe once lectured on Buddhist scriptures in the temple, and the melodious bell sound could be heard several miles away. Gaoming Temple is located beside Youxi Stream, 10 kilometers northeast of Tiantai County. Gaoming Temple was personally founded by Master Zhizhe, the founder of the Tiantai School of Buddhism (then known as Youxi Dojo). The temple was officially established during the Tang Dynasty. During the Tianyou reign of Emperor Zhaozong (904-907 AD), because the temple is located halfway up the mountain and surrounded by green lotus peaks, sharp at the top and wide at the base, like being at the focal point of a concave mirror where the light of the sun and moon always shines brightly and disperses widely, it was named Gaoming Temple, meaning "high" and "great brightness." Historically, Gaoming Temple has been built and destroyed many times, and most of the current buildings were constructed in the 1970s. 1. The plaques of the Mountain Gate and the Grand Hall of Sakyamuni were all inscribed by Kang Youwei. 2. It houses precious cultural relics such as palm-leaf scriptures, Master Zhizhe's purple-gold alms bowl, Master Zhizhe's kasaya (bestowed by Emperor Yang of Sui and made by stringing together hundreds of colorful embroidered squares), Master Zhizhe's handwritten "Dafangdeng Tuoluoni Sutra," and a bronze mirror from the Shurangama Altar. 3. The Four Wonders: The Ksitigarbha Hall originally housed a 7,000-jin (approx. 3,500 kg) giant bell cast during the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty, which was later destroyed. The current bronze bell is 1.96 meters high, 1.48 meters in diameter, and weighs 2.5 tons, donated by a French-Chinese individual. 4. Outside the temple, on Fuhu Ridge, there is a cave by the stream, and below the cave is the "Watching Clouds Stone," said to be where Master Chuandeng once sat to watch clouds and waterfalls. When I visited, there were very few people in the temple. Surrounded by green bamboo, it was very serene. There is a hiking trail connecting here to Zhizhe Pagoda Courtyard. Along the self-driving route, you can encounter many tourists on their "Zhejiang-style pilgrimage to Tiantai." Address: Tiantai County, Taizhou Free admission