Autumn's in the Air | Visit Jiande, Climb the Jiangnan Hanging Temple, Admire the King of Ginkgo, and Enjoy a Spectacular Show
Each autumn rain brings a deeper chill; falling leaves tell of autumn's arrival, and frost speaks of cold. If the autumn wind bestows a color upon the season, it is surely gold. The ginkgo tree is the most splendid under the sun. An autumn without ginkgo is incomplete. With temperatures dropping sharply, the golden ginkgo season has arrived. Against the sunset glow, the ground is covered with fallen leaves, and everywhere you look is a sea of gold—the ginkgo forest seems transformed into a golden fairy-tale world. Unlike the sensitive parasol tree whose one leaf heralds autumn, or the brilliant riot of maples that dye the forests, the lustrous golden ginkgo is like the most romantic curtain call of late autumn. Although ginkgo trees are not particular to north or south, perhaps due to climate, those in the north turn yellow in early October, while in the south they wait until November or even December.
In Jiande, Daciyan, celebrated as the 'Little Jiuhua of Western Zhejiang,' the Hanging Temple is about to shine. The ancient ginkgo, standing for a millennium, sheds its golden leaves, and mid-November is the best time to view them. Every year in the late autumn of November and December, Daciyan in Jiande ushers in its annual ginkgo season. The ancient ginkgo dons its 'golden armor,' and a flurry of leaves dances all over the sky, showering a golden ginkgo 'rain'—a picture-perfect autumn scene. When the ginkgo leaves turn the sky gold, why not come to Jiande for an encounter?
Daciyan Hanging Temple
Daciyan is located in Jiande City, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. It is a mountain landscape with a long history in the renowned Fuchun River–Xin’an River–Qiandao Lake scenic area, a tourist destination where Buddhist culture and natural scenery blend perfectly. Because it enshrines Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and is believed to manifest miracles, it is called the 'Little Jiuhua of Western Zhejiang.' From a certain angle, the main peak of Daciyan resembles a lifelike standing statue of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, known as 'China’s largest natural standing Buddha.' Daciyan is also recorded in 'The Best of China' for the natural wonder that 'the mountain is a Buddha, and the Buddha is a mountain.'
The Ksitigarbha Hall, built on a vertical cliff at the summit of the main peak, uses the cave as its sanctuary and hangs in mid-air. It shares a similar ingenious design with the Hanging Temple on Mount Heng in Shanxi, hence it is called the 'Jiangnan Hanging Temple.' The temple’s structure is clever, perilously spectacular, a gem of Chinese art and the only hanging temple in the Jiangnan region.
As the name implies, a hanging temple is a monastery suspended on a steep cliff. Ancient Chinese craftsmen built it according to the Taoist principle of 'hearing no crowing cocks or barking dogs,' cleverly using the natural indentations and protrusions of the cliff. Its architectural features can be summed up in three words: unique, suspended, and ingenious. The Daciyan Hanging Temple is no different. Its main hall, the Ksitigarbha Hall, is half embedded in the steep rock face and half jutting out over the cliff—a truly magnificent sight.
According to historical records, the Jiangnan Hanging Temple has a history of over 700 years. How could a temple supported only by a dozen bowl-thick wooden poles withstand more than seven centuries of wind and sun? In fact, those wooden poles bear no weight at all. Moreover, the temple is situated in a small basin within a deep mountain valley, with the entire monastery hanging on the cliff face. When floods rage below, it remains untouched, spared from submersion. Additionally, the prominent overhang of the cliff peak acts like a natural umbrella, shielding the temple from rain erosion. Thus, it has survived over 700 years of weathering intact.
Viewed from afar, the Jiangnan Hanging Temple resembles a natural, delicately carved relief set into the steep cliff. Up close, you’ll find it flanked by sheer precipices, as if poised to soar. Climbing the steps to the highest point of the Jiangnan Hanging Temple—which is over 60 meters higher than its Shanxi counterpart—you can lean on the railing and look down, with the thrilling sense that 'the cliff beneath your feet might crumble.'
Daciyan’s Ancient Ginkgo
'Deep flowers and bamboo stones bewilder the visitor; chilly dew on the lotus pond I ask the distant monk. All day long the mossy steps lie unswept, as the courtyard is filled with ginkgo leaves falling in the autumn breeze.' In November, Daciyan’s meditation courtyards are quiet and profound, the Zen atmosphere casual and subtle, like an unearthly paradise retreat. Coming to Daciyan to see the ginkgo at this time is a perfect rendezvous with exquisite autumn charm. In front of the Xingxiang Pavilion at Daciyan stands a ginkgo tree over 700 years old, about 40 meters tall and nearly 1.5 meters thick, with sturdy branches twisting like a coiled dragon gazing backward—truly Jiande’s 'King of Ginkgo.'
Autumn is deep, and the ancient ginkgo at Daciyan is welcoming its most beautiful time of the year. Perhaps because 'she' is rooted before the Buddhist gate and imbued with spirituality, many visitors hang their wishes on this thousand-year-old tree, entrusting their thoughts. Through dynasties, under the shelter of religion and its own tenacious vitality, the ancient ginkko still showers a golden rain. When a monk pauses or passes by, it adds an extra touch of Zen.
The autumn ginkgo tree listens to the Buddhist chants, adding an otherworldly air to the ancient temple. Walking on the bluestone path laid a thousand years ago, approaching the ginkgo woods, and looking out at the peaks, the ancient temple and ginkgo are a match made in heaven. The dense ginkgo leaves, like flakes of gold, shimmer on the ancient branches. When a breeze blows, they flutter like butterflies among the branches, creating the most striking scenery in the deep autumn scenic area. Gazing out, one feels a sense of 'the whole city clad in golden armor'—solemn and awe-inspiring, vast yet composed. The ginkgo tree reveals its dazzling gold while shedding countless leaves that roll along the ground with the wind, carpeting it in splendor.
For a thousand years, one tree has stood alone, contemplating the vicissitudes of the world. Daciyan’s deep autumn belongs to the ginkgo. Each year, its color shifts from green to yellow, a beauty that intoxicates. When the temperature plummets, leaves fall in profusion, gently, quietly—as if in the blink of an eye, the ground is covered in yellow. Standing beneath the ginkgo, it feels as if you’ve glimpsed a millennium’s worth of events, witnessing in an instant the cycle of seasons, the destiny of all things rising from the tiniest beginnings and returning to the pure earth. Perhaps because the environment here is so profoundly tranquil, like an immortal’s secluded paradise. Once you are here, the wind stills, the trees still—even time seems to freeze!
At this time every year, Daciyan’s ancient ginkgo switches to 'full-on golden mode,' offering visitors seeking tranquility a joyful and aesthetic visual feast. The tree’s iron-gray branches are laden with bright yellow leaves that glitter and dazzle under the sun. A gentle breeze stirs a faint fragrance, and the falling leaves dance like golden butterflies, airy and graceful—soon covering the ground in dazzling gold, a sight so enchanting that one lingers and forgets to leave.
Immersive Live Performance: 'The River Clear, the Moon Near'
'Moving my boat, I moor by the misty islet; at dusk, a traveler’s sorrow grows anew. The open wilds, the sky low over trees, the river clear, the moon drawn near.' At sunset, the vast wilderness stretches out; on the broad, misty river, only the solitary moon can console the traveler’s lonely heart… With a few strokes, the poetic star Meng Haoran vividly captured the picturesque autumn evening on the Xin’an River in Jiande. In today’s thriving tourism, many have traveled here, hoping to experience that exquisite mood of ancient poetry, yet there were too few visual scenes to imagine. But now it’s different. On Moon Island—a place on the Xin’an River rivaling the legendary Penglai fairy isle—a grand immersive live performance titled 'The River Clear, the Moon Near' will transport you through time, letting you feel the endless charm of this ancient land in context, mood, and more.
As a large-scale immersive live performance set exclusively on Moon Island in Jiande, 'The River Clear, the Moon Near' is directed by famous director Mei Shuaiyuan, the founder of China’s landscape live performances. The theme derives from Tang poet Meng Haoran’s famous poem 'Overnight in Jiande River.' Through highly artistic grand images composed of 'river, moon, and people,' it contains beautiful scenarios and multi-layered spiritual expressions of 'Xin’an River, the eternal moon, the cycle of life, roots and nostalgia, past and present lives.' It presents to visitors, from multiple perspectives, the unique spirit and energy inherent in the ancient 'Jiande people,' thriving through life’s cycles and the passage of generations under the clear river and moonlit sky.
What sets 'The River Clear, the Moon Near' apart from ordinary live shows are its numerous highlights. First, the performance venue is on Moon Island, where the 'White Sand Mystical Fog' drifts across the Xin’an River; it is also home to China’s first mist-shrouded island theater. Situated in the middle of Jiande’s Xin’an River, the island got its name because from afar it looks like a moon floating on the water. 'There’s a Xin’an River, so blue and beautiful; there’s a Moon Island, floating on the water…' This song, 'Moon Island,' an acclaimed Chinese tourism song, captures the matchless scenery of Moon Island on the Xin’an River.
The island is lush with trees, and water birds flutter gracefully. Though small, it is elegantly tranquil, like a fairyland. The river is clear and pure, its vast misty expanse soothing; a passing breeze brings refreshing coolness. At dawn and dusk, a thin mist lingers on the river, veiled and unveiled, full of mystery. Visitors can take in the clear river and bright moon amid the fog, and on a moonlit night, a stroll on Moon Island allows them to savor the poetic mood of 'the open wilds, the sky low over trees, the river clear, the moon drawn near.'
Second, the viewing method is unique: a circular immersive experience moving around the island, with segments that are both independent and interconnected. The entire performance follows a clockwise loop along Moon Island, offering a broader range and better viewing, creating a 'walk-and-watch' new live performance experience. Moreover, the costumes, music, and stage design are all inventive, exquisite, and full of highlights. The show consists of five performance sections: 'River, Clear, Moon, Near, People.' Each part retains its historical characteristics and interprets distinct meanings, cleverly woven together to present a complete, strung-pearl-like yet interrelated live performance.
The performance is divided into five parts: River·The Beginning of the Chase; Clear·Delight in Mountains; Moon·The Road of Tang Poetry; Near·Return on the Wind; People·Past and Present Lives. Here, we see ancient 'Jiande people' chasing deer among clear rivers and flower fields, narrating past connections with the Xin’an River; the detached Yan Ziling fishing alone through the four seasons, expressing a hermit’s love for mountains and waters; the carefree Li Bai and Meng Haoran writing and dancing to invite the moon, together composing glorious chapters of the 'Western Zhejiang Tang Poetry Road'; Chen Youliang, whose lofty ambitions were unfulfilled, gazing up to the sky and crying out, his homesickness beyond words; and the fishermen of the nine surnames living by the Xin’an River, whose difficult romantic dreams become a beautiful scene bridging the past and present.
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November 17, 2020: Hefei South – Jiande Station – 'The River Clear, the Moon Near' performance – Xin’an Leidisen Hotel
November 18, 2020: Daciyan – Hanging Temple – Ancient Ginkgo – Return Trip
✈️ Air: Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport
🚄 High-speed train: Jiande Station (If no direct high-speed train, transfer at Hangzhou East or Huangshan North)
Daciyan admission: 80 yuan. 'The River Clear, the Moon Near' admission: box office 298 yuan (online booking: 230 yuan). Tips: 1. Ticket includes performance + boat fare. 2. Boarding pier: Shuangjiang Street Pier – Moon Island Pier.
Hangzhou Xin’an Leidisen Hotel is situated on the banks of the Xin’an River, which maintains a constant temperature of 17°C year-round. With the foothills of Nanshan on one side and the Xin’an River scenery on the other, you can enjoy the river’s fairy mist up close and distant views of Nanshan Park’s beauty.
Amidst pristine natural scenery, the Xin’an Leidisen Hotel combines natural beauty with rich humanistic ambiance. Each room is meticulously designed, with elegant private balconies and unique interior designs, allowing every guest to feel a profound cultural sentiment and enjoy sweeping views of the Xin’an River’s scenic landscape.
Due to time constraints and a tight schedule, we didn’t hesitate much in choosing where to eat. We wanted to make good use of time without missing out on good food, so we decided that our first meal—an important one on this trip—would be at the restaurant of the Xin’an Leidisen Hotel where we were staying.
There are many ways to choose food: some go for local reputation, some for ambiance, some for great value. This time in Jiande, all choices converged on the Xin’an Leidisen Hotel. Often on trips, people avoid hotel dining, first because it’s pricey, and second because the food is often generic. However, the Xin’an Leidisen Hotel shattered my preconceptions of hotel dining: the cuisine not only suits common tastes but is also very affordable. This choice was spot on!
A semi-literary older youth who loves life, travel, music, reading, and writing. Personal card: Zhu Jie’s Choice Notes, global traveler, travel video expert, Sina Weibo contracted self-media, travel blogger. Please contact the author for reprints and respect the original creator’s hard work.
