Located on the southern outskirts of Xiamen, close to the Xiamen University, is the Nanputuo Temple (Nanputuo si) , built during the Tang dynasty (618-907). The temple is in an attractive location, built onto the slopes of Wulao Hill ( Wulao feng ),  and is definitely one of China's best temples. It is so named because it lies to the south of Putuoshan, one of the most respected Buddhist venues in China.

Entering the front gate, you come to the Heavenly King Hall ( Tian wang feng ), which houses a huge laughing Buddha, accompanied by the four heavenly kings on either side. Behind the Buddha stands Wei Tuo, another deity, who is safeguarding the Buddhist doctrine. He has a stick in one of his hands, which points to the ground, a sign that the temple is rich enough to provide visiting monks with board and lodging. Stepping out of the hall, you enter a courtyard, in front of which is the Great Heroic Treasure Hall ( Daxiongbao feng ), a two-storey building with three Buddhas representing the past, present and future. The Great Compassion Hall ( Dabei feng ), behind this, houses four statues of Guanyin (the goddess of compassion).

Once passing through the main halls you will reach the Wulao Hill. The stones here are littered with characters such as 'On the heavenly border' or the more simple "Buddha", both official and unofficial. It is possible to scale up and over the hill, a bit of a task, to arrive at the Wanshi Botanical Gardens , in which is housed the giant redwood brought by Nixon in his groundbreaking visit to China.

To the South of the temple lies the Xiamen University ( Xiamen daxue ), with it's pleasant lake, multitude of subtropical trees and green parks. Directly opposite the temple, across the road, there is also a variety of restaurants most notably the the Dafang Vegetarian Restaurant ( Dafang shucai guan ).

How to get to Nanputuo Temple : Take Bus No.17. Of course, taxi is the best choice.
Admission: RMB 3.