Jiande Daciyan Scenic Area

Jiande Daciyan Scenic Area

Daciyan is located in Daciyan Town, Jiande — one of China’s outstanding tourist cities — about 24 kilometers south of downtown Jiande. It is a tourist destination where Buddhist culture blends perfectly with beautiful landscapes. Renowned for being home to the “No. 1 Hanging Temple in the Jiangnan region,” long valley streams, China’s largest natural standing Buddha, and profound Buddhist heritage, it enjoys the reputation of being the “Little Jiuhua of Western Zhejiang.” Daciyan is widely known for its Jiangnan-style hanging temple, long valley streams, and China’s No. 1 natural standing Buddha. According to local chronicles, during the Yuandade era, a man named Mo Ziyuan from Lin’an followed a dream and abandoned his home to come here. He carved a statue of the Buddha out of stone and named it Daci (Great Mercy). The mountain was named after the Buddha, hence the name Daciyan.

The landscapes of Daciyan are closely intertwined — lakes, streams, waterfalls, and mountain brooks are found everywhere, meandering down from the mountaintop to form a unique 880-meter-long valley stream landscape. Moreover, with its steep slopes and high ridges, the area features Yuhua Lake nestled within the valley at the summit. Water flows from the valley mouth, either plunging down in torrents as waterfalls, flowing gently around large rocks as streams, seeping through scattered rocks as springs, or hiding and emerging in various sizes, speeds, and degrees of visibility, all twisting and turning until reaching the mountain’s base.

Cliffside high-altitude cave architecture is a major feature of Daciyan. Throughout the scenic area, temples, plank walkways, and cable cars all embody the theme of “hanging.” The main hall, the Earth Store Bodhisattva Temple, is built into a cave that is 3 meters high, 60 meters long, and 20 meters wide, situated against the mountainside. Half of it is embedded into the rock face, while the other half is suspended in midair — a spectacular and perilous sight. It bears similarities to the Hanging Temple of Hengshan in Shanxi, thus earning the title “Hanging Temple of the Jiangnan Region.” Another newly built temple, Qingfeng Pavilion, is constructed high above the cliffs, appearing as if it’s ready to soar into the clouds when viewed from afar. From atop the pavilion, visitors can enjoy a breathtaking panoramic view of the surrounding landscapes, making the experience of suspension even more intense. The modern-carved “Sky Plank Road and Cloud Ferry” follows the natural contour of the cliffs, forming a corridor of continuous stone railings. Leaning over the railing, one may feel as though “the cliff beneath their feet might collapse at any moment.”

Another highlight of Daciyan is China’s largest natural standing Buddha. When viewed from the side, the main peak of Daciyan resembles a standing statue of the Earth Store Bodhisattva. It stands 147 meters tall, with the head alone measuring 41.3 meters in height and 60 meters in width. The Buddha’s facial features are naturally formed by peculiar rocks, odd caves, and vegetation, creating an incredibly lifelike and vivid image. Certified by tourism experts, it has been named “China’s Largest Natural Standing Buddha” and is hailed as “a unique wonder of China.” Daciyan has gained worldwide fame for this rare natural phenomenon where “the mountain is a Buddha, and the Buddha is the mountain,” and it has been recorded in The Best of China.