Buddhism prevailed in the Sui and Tang dynasties, and there are several thousand-year-old temples built in the Sui and Tang dynasties only near Zhongnan Mountain, such as Guifeng Temple, Fengde Temple, Jingye Temple, Caotang Temple and Ancient Guanyin Temple. It is also a famous temple and ancient temple, Jingye Temple, Guifeng Temple and Caotang Temple are the ancestral gardens of Buddhist dojos and have a higher religious status, but Guyin Temple is more well-known to outsiders. Because of the thousand-year-old ginkgo tree, the ancient Guanyin Temple has become one of the most popular ancient temples in Xi'an in recent years after the Great Ci'en Temple.
The ancient Guanyin Temple is located in Luohan Cave Village, East Street, Chang'an District, adjacent to Guanyin Mountain in the west and Zhongnan Mountain in the east. Located more than an hour's drive from the city, Guyin Zenji is far away from the hustle and bustle, but the remoteness of its location puts many visitors off. Guyin Temple existed as early as the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty, with a history of about 1,400 years. The ginkgo tree in the temple was also planted in the Tang Dynasty, the tree is thousands of years old, and has been included in the list of ancient and famous trees to be protected.
Most of the buildings in the temple are blue bricks, gray tiles, bricks and red beams, which appear simple and simple, but highlight the beauty of the ancient ginkgo. The ancient ginkgo tree is located in the temple behind the hall of the Great Male Treasure Palace, after thousands of years, has grown from a tree to a rooting mother and child ginkgo tree, large and small daughter trees surround the mother tree, close to the mother tree growth, appear to be thick and straight crown, the branches and leaves are lush and lush. Autumn is the best time to visit the temple, and from October to December every year, you can see the yellowed and tall ginkgo biloba inside and outside the temple, and it becomes a scene from all angles. The autumn wind sweeps away, and the ginkgo leaves are spread all over the ground in golden, which is very spectacular.
Ginkgo biloba is blocked by the fence, divided into the inner circle and the outer circle, if you want to see it up close, pay 10 yuan to buy incense or prayer belt, you can enter the inner circle to see the ginkgo. Under the ancient tree, there is a clear spring, which is inexhaustible all year round, and the spring water is very clear. Although there are often believers who believe that this spring water can eliminate disasters and cure diseases, so it is known as the "Guanyin Divine Spring", but this statement has no scientific basis, and it is not allowed to drink it at will.
Due to the large number of visitors, in order to allow tourists to have a better viewing experience and control the crowded phenomenon, the temple began to implement the method of diverting tourists and making reservations in advance at the end of October 2017. If you want to have a glimpse of this thousand-year-old ginkgo, it is recommended to make an appointment on the official WeChat account of "Ancient Guanyin Temple" one to two days in advance. The number of visitors has been greatly reduced, and the number of visitors is so large that it is now possible to make a reservation in advance during the peak period of the year (November) and visit the temple directly during the rest of the year. There are many volunteers in the temple to serve tourists, and they often remind tourists to bring all their belongings and watch the road carefully, which is very intimate.
The ancient Guanyin Temple has become an "Internet celebrity" temple, and it has been the third year, but the temple insists on not charging any tickets and allowing tourists to enter the hospital for free. Without ticket revenue, the value-added income of the ancient Guanyin Temple mainly comes from the sale of cultural and creative supplies, such as small purses, postcards, bookmarks, etc. The location of the Guyin Temple is remote, there are no other scenic spots around to play together, and the nearby restaurants are mostly farmhouse restaurants and food stalls opened by local villagers, and the taste is not good. It takes more than two hours to go back and forth from Xi'an to the Guyin Temple, and it takes more than half a day to enter the temple, which is too long for many tourists, when the ginkgo is not yellow, the Guyin Temple is no different from other temples, it seems ordinary, and the ornamental is not strong. It is recommended to visit in autumn when the ginkgo biloba leaves are yellow.
Duration: 1~2 hours
Admission: Free
Tips: 1. Make an appointment in advance through the WeChat public account;2. Afternoon is the peak viewing period, it is recommended to go in the morning;3. Bring a camera.
