Suzhou - Cold Mountain Temple Monastery Hanshan Si

The Cold Mountain Temple Monastery is situated on the city's western edge on the banks of the Imperial Canal. In the Tang period (618-907) a poet sang the praises of the monastery: ''At the Monastery of the Cold Mountain, behind the city of Suzhou, my boat is moored, the bells strike midnight''.

The site dates from the year 502, although the present buildings only came into existence in 1905. It is named after the prominent monk Hanshan (7th C).

Items kept in the monastery include a few dozen stone tablets with inscriptions by well known personalities from earlier centuries.

The bronze bell which hangs on the right hand side of the main hall is a reproduction of a lost bell from the Tang era.