Nanputuo Temple and Xiamen University
Buddhist Temple Below Wulao Peak, Founded In The Tang Dynasty, Beside The 1921 Campus Of Xiamen University · Xiamen, Fujian
A busy Buddhist temple and the campus beside it, together making the pleasantest half-day in Xiamen. Nanputuo climbs the slope below the Five Old Men Peaks, its halls stacked one above another around courtyards of incense smoke, lotus ponds and tame pigeons; founded in the Tang dynasty and rebuilt many times, it takes its name from Mount Putuo, the island sacred to Guanyin far up the coast, and its Great Compassion Hall holds a many-armed Guanyin that draws a constant stream of worshippers. Behind the temple, a stone path climbs past inscribed boulders to a viewpoint over the sea, and the temple's vegetarian restaurant is an institution in the city. Through a gate on the other side lies Xiamen University, founded in 1921 by the overseas Chinese businessman Tan Kah Kee and often called the most beautiful campus in China: red-tiled buildings in a mix of southern Fujian and Western styles stand around a lake and a lotus pond, with a beach just beyond the seawall. Both sites are free, but both now require visitors to book ahead, and the university caps daily numbers.
Nanputuo Temple, 515 Siming South Road, Siming District, Xiamen, Fujian, China
Temple daily about 8:00-18:30 with timed bookings; Xiamen University admits booked visitors in set windows with daily caps (check both before travelling).
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