台州市
A coastal manufacturing city with a Buddhist mountain
Why this place
Taizhou (Zhejiang) is a long coastal prefecture of fishing ports and small factories. Its Tiantai Mountain is where the Tiantai school of Buddhism was founded — one of the most influential in East Asia, and the mountain has the monasteries to show for it.
What to see
- Guoqing Temple on Tiantai Mountain, founded in 598 CE and the head temple of the Tiantai school
- The Tiantai mountain scenery, waterfalls and stone bridges, which Chinese painters used as a model
- The coastal islands and beaches, including the fishing port of Shitang
What to eat
- Coastal seafood — this is a serious fishing prefecture
- Tiantai mountain vegetables and the local Buddhist vegetarian cooking
Best time
April–June and September–November
HSKHSK 3
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