Yiwu Fotang Ancient Town, Zhejiang, China

Yiwu Fotang Ancient Town Zhejiang, China 2023 November 4K UHD 60FPS Fotang Ancient Town is located in Yiwu City, Jinhua City, Zhejiang Province. It is an ancient town with a long history and rich cultural heritage. Because the Indian monk Bodhidharma traveled here, he threw himself into the Qing River and turned into a ferry to save the people. Later generations were grateful for his kindness and raised funds to build Dupan Temple. There is a poem on the temple pillars that says "Buddha's light shines through generations, and the candles in the hall shine in all directions", so it is named "Fotang". Fotang Ancient Town was the commercial center and main street of Yiwu in history, and it is also a transportation hub in central Zhejiang. It has the reputation of "a thousand-year-old town, a breeze commercial port, and a Buddhist holy land". In the late Qing Dynasty, Yiwu's first chamber of commerce, Fotang Chamber of Commerce, was established here. At that time, Fotang's tax revenue accounted for more than half of the entire Yiwu, and it was known as "one of the four famous towns in eastern Zhejiang". The old street of Fotang Ancient Town is the soul of the ancient town. It consists of Zhi Street, Chamber of Commerce Street, Yanbutou Heng Street, Fuqiaotou Heng Street and two east-west side streets, and retains the architectural style of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. There are many shops along the street, and the pattern of downstairs being stores and upstairs being residences is still preserved. It is an excellent place to experience the commercial culture of the ancient town. There are many exquisite ancient buildings in the ancient town, such as Wuqiji Residence (Wu's House), Huaiyin Hall (Liji Eight-sided Hall), etc. These buildings perfectly blend the grandeur of Hui-style architecture with the exquisiteness of Zhejiang carvings, and are attractions that cannot be missed in the ancient town. Xinhua Theater is the most distinctive cultural landmark of Fotang. The theater is decorated with square tables and chairs from the 1980s, and there are often local opera performances. It is a good place to experience the cultural atmosphere of the ancient town. The Brown Sugar Culture and Art Museum displays sculptures of the ancient method of making Fotang brown sugar, allowing tourists to understand and learn the production process of brown sugar. Fotang Ancient Town is currently open to the public free of charge, and tourists can visit freely. You can see the beautiful night view of Fotang Ancient Town from 6 to 8 pm. Shuanglin Temple In addition to the ancient town, Shuanglin Temple, located at the foot of Yunhuang Mountain in Fotang Town, can also be visited. The eminent monk Fu Dashi (named Xi, also known as Minghong) during the Liang Dynasty of the Southern Dynasties built a hermitage next to the Shuangyan tree in Yunhuang Mountain and practiced at the age of 24 under the guidance of the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. Later, Shuanglin Temple was founded in 543 AD (the sixth year of Datong in Liangzhong). Shuanglin Temple has gone through 15 centuries. During the Northern Song Dynasty, Shuanglin Temple had more than 1,200 monks' houses and more than 2,000 monks and nuns. Shuanglin Temple has been destroyed, rebuilt and repaired many times in history. In 1958, it was demolished due to the construction of water conservancy, and the temple site became Shuanglin Reservoir. In 1986, the people rebuilt the temple next to Shuanglin Reservoir. In 1994, the Yiwu Municipal People's Government decided to repair Shuanglin Temple and develop it into a scenic tourist area. Main buildings Main Hall: It is the tallest building in the temple. Fu Dashi Hall: It was built to commemorate Fu Dashi. Tianwang Hall: The plaque was inscribed by Master Mingyang, and there are four Vajra under the eaves, with unique images. Chakravartin Hall: There is a huge chakravartin inside, which is said to be the largest electric chakravartin in the world. Shuanglin Temple was still under renovation when we went there. It is currently open to the public for free, with free parking. Opening hours: 8:00-18:00. In addition to the large palace, the garden landscapes such as mountain views, lake views, stone pagodas, etc. are also very Jiangnan-style and worth seeing. 00:00 Fotang Ancient Town 44:58 Shuanglin Temple Zhejiang, China - Chao's Travel Log / 中国浙江 - 超思旅行日志 Chao' Studio 超思工作室 / Contact: chao@chaostu.cc