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Tiantai Mountain Scenic Area

Tiantai Mountain is a famous national scenic area situated in Tiantai County, Taizhou City, in eastern Zhejiang Province. It is known for its beautiful scenery and for being the cradle of the Tiantai Sect of Chinese Buddhism including the Japanese and Korean Tiantai Buddhist Sects and also for being the home of the South Sect of Taoism.

Tiantai Mountain has many individual attractions including its historical sites and its tranquil flora comprised of evergreen plants and a unique geography. Covering an area of about 187 square kilometers (72 square miles), the scenic area is divided into 13 parts including Guoqing Temple, Shiliang Waterfall, Longchuan Gorge, Chicheng Mountain, Qiongtai Valley, Huading Peak, Former residence of Ji Gong, Tianhu Scenic Area, etc. Each area has its own unique attractions. Guoqing Temple, Shiliang Waterfall, Huading Peak are among the most beautiful natural sights.

Guoqing Temple

At the foot of Tiantai Mountain, Guoqing Temple was built in 598 in the Sui Dynasty (581-618) according to the last wish of 'Wisdom', an eminent monk. It is said that he founded the Chinese Tiantai Sect of Buddhism. Later its doctrines were spread abroad, mainly to Korea and Japan. These external cultures significantly influenced the development of Korean and Japanese Buddhist Sects. Guoqing Temple has been restored many times in later dynasties. The most recent general renovation was during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Guoqing Temple now is a grand and unique architectural complex consisting of more than 600 rooms and 14 halls. It is one of the best preserved large temples in China.

Shiliang Waterfall

The Shiliang Waterfall in Tiantai Mountain Scenic Area is a masterpiece of nature. A stone beam spans two steep cliffs, known as Shiliang, meaning a Stone Bridge. It ranges from about 9 centimeters (7 inches) wide at the narrowest to about 48 centimeters (19 inches) at the widest point. The waterfall plummets about 30 meters (98 feet) into a deep pool with a thundering roar. The sight is magnificent. Considerable composure and surefootedness are required to walk across the beam.

Huading Peak

In stark contrast to the Shiliang Waterfall, Huading Peak is the highest peak of Tiantai Mountain with the height of about 1,138 meters (3,733 feet). Because it is always nestled in clouds, it is famous for the view with clouds gathering. The top is the best place to view sunrise. From the top looking down, Huading and surrounding peaks look like a lotus bud with Huading Peak at the center. Only more than 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) high, Tiantai Mountain basks in a comfortable climate among graceful surroundings that is a pleasant respite from city life.

Note: Tiantai Mountain is famous as a summer resort in Zhejiang Province. The best time to visit is from April to October, so one can enjoy the beautiful scenery of Tiantai Mountain, yet still avoid summer heat. Moreover, it is convenient since it is only two hours by bus from Hangzhou.

How to Travel There:

Get to Tiantai County:
From Shanghai:
Take long distance buses from Shanghai South Long Distance Bus Station or Hutai Road Long Distance Bus Station to Tiantai Passenger Transport Central Station. Bus fare is around CNY 140. It takes around 3 hours.

From Hangzhou:
Take long-distance buses from Hangzhou Passenger Transport Central Station to Tiantai Passenger Transport Central Station. Bus fare is around CNY 85. It takes around 2 hours.

Get to Scenic Areas of Tiantai Mountain:
How to get to Guoqing Temple:
Take bus No. 5 from Tiantai Passenger Transport Central Station and get off at Guoqing Jingqu (Guoqing Temple).

How to get to Shiliang Waterfall and Huading Peak:
Take bus No. 1, 5, 3a or 3b from Tiantai Passenger Transport Central Station to Tiantai North Bus Station and then take local buses.

How to get to Longchuan Gorge:
Take long-distance buses from Passenger Transport Central Station to Baihe Town and then charter a taxi or motorcycle.

How to get to Chicheng Mountain:
Take bus No. 5 and get off at Chicheng Hotel Station and then walk for 1.4 km (0.9 mi).

How to get to Qiongtai Valley:
Take a taxi or motorcycle to the valley.

Note: Short-distance buses are available from Tiantai North Bus Station to Guoqing Temple, Huading Peak and so on.
Hangzhou Bus / Metro Search

Ticket Fare	Entrance: CNY 10 Guoqing Temple: Free Shiliang Waterfall: CNY 60 Longchuan Gorge: CNY 60 Chicheng Mountain: CNY 15 Qiongtai Valley: CNY 65 Huading Peak: CNY 50 Former residence of Ji Gong: 30 Tianhu Scenic Area: 45
Opening Hours	Guoqing Temple, Shiliang Waterfall, Longchuan Gorge and Chicheng Mountain: 08:00 - 16:00 Qiongtai Valley: 07:00 - 16:00; Huading Peak: 07:30 - 17:00.

Note:
1. Children under 1.2 m (3.9 ft) can visit for free.
2. Children between 1.2-1.5 m (3.9-4.9 ft) can enjoy a 50% discount.
3. For Qiongtai Valley, children under 1.2m can visit for free.
4. Every May 19-20, the Chinese Tourism Day, tickets of all scenic areas of Tiantai Mountain are sold on half price.

- Last updated on Jul. 19, 2022 -

Questions & Answers on Tiantai Mountain Scenic Area

Asked by GREG REED from UNITED STATES | Jan. 13, 2020 07:37

Travel options from Tiantai Mountain Hot Springs Resort

One additional question - if I use this (Hot Springs Resort) hotel as my base, is it easy to get the Tourist Center that has the shuttle buses to the scenic areas?

Answers (1)

Answered by Liz from SINGAPORE | Jan. 14, 2020 19:12

If you want to go to Tiantai mountain from this resort, you can take bus 505 from Guoqing station to Jixi station, then walk south around 200m to Tiantai scenic area.

Asked by Greg Reed from USA | Jan. 12, 2020 17:27

Bus from Shanghai to Hangzhou Tiantai Mountain

Your article says the bus from Shanghai is 3 hours, but other website says 4 hr 30 mins.
Quite big difference - which is correct? Are there direct routes and indirect routes?

Answers (2)

Answered by Rita from CANADA | Jan. 13, 2020 19:35

The bullet train from Shanghai to Taizhou is around 3 hours, but you have to transfer other public bus to scenic area. So it is suggested to take long-distance bus directly. You can take bus from Shanghai South Bus Station to Tiantai Passenger Center Station, which costs CNY150 with 3.5 hours on the way.

Answered by Greg Reed from USA | Jan. 14, 2020 07:51

Thanks Rita!
I'm OK taking the bus from SH, just trying to figure out the journey time. I've seen different times reported, from 3 hours to 4.5 hours.

Asked by Aitor from SPAIN | Mar. 14, 2019 00:33

How to reach Tiantai mountain from Ningbo? Is it recommendable to stay one night in Taizhou?

Answers (1)

Answered by Dylan from USA | Mar. 18, 2019 23:06

You can take a coach from Ningbo Passenger Transport Center to Tiantai County first. The bus schedules are 06:55, 08:10, 09:25, 09:45, 10:50, 11:20, 11:45, 12:20, 13:25, 15:25, 15:30 and 16:25. The ticket fare is around CNY60/person. After arriving, take a taxi or hire a private car to the scenic area. In addition, you can stay one night in Taizhou. Hope helpful!

Asked by Lisa from INDONESIA | Jul. 30, 2018 05:57

How can i go to shiliang waterfall from Tiantai Passenger Transport Central Station

if we can't drive a car and we don't want to go by taxi?

thank you

Answers (1)

Answered by Danna from CANADA | Jul. 30, 2018 20:32

Walk about 100m to take Bus Line 7 to Tourist Center and then take a shuttle bus to the scenic area.