Attractions in Wutaishan: Pusa Ding

Pusa Ding, approximately translated Buddha's Summit or Buddha's Hat, sits on the top of a hill in the northwest of Taihuai village. This is a well looked after lamasery, a Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1911 AD) complex that has seen a number of renovations and restorations. For those just arriving on the mountain, this is certainly a good sight to start on, as you can see across the whole of the village from the top here, with the mountain peaks rising high up beyond.

The temple has had a number of fairly illustrious visitors in its time, with emperors of various dynasties paying their compliments with a variety of steles and boards inscribed with characters that can still be seen today. Languages on these boards include Tibetan, Mongolian, Manchurian and Mandarin. The three main halls, the Buddhist Deities Hall (Tianwang dian), the Sakyamuni Hall (Shijiamouni dian) and the Buddha Hall (Pusa dian), all contain samples of these. Those of a pedantic nature may be interested in counting the number of steps up the mountain that is the same as the number of beads on a Buddhist rosary and the number of sins that men are supposedly capable of falling prey to.

The best time to visit the temple is during July, since the lamasery serves as the main venue for the annual congregation of the Yellow Hat Sect of Tibetan Buddhism. For the exact date of the annual festival/congregation try CITS (Tel: 0350-6542142).

How to get there: The temple is near the start of the walking trail that leads up the mountain, just northwest of the center of the village.
Opening hours: 08:30-17:00.
Cost: RMB5.