Tianning Temple is the headline sight in Changzhou: a major Chan (Zen) Buddhist complex whose centrepiece is a thirteen-storey timber pagoda that is the tallest wooden pagoda in the world. The pagoda is genuinely impressive in person — its scale surprises visitors who see it first across the rooftops of the surrounding streets — and the complex itself is large enough to absorb the visitors without feeling crowded, particularly on weekday mornings.
The surrounding temple buildings follow the classical Chan arrangement: a series of ceremonial halls leading from the main gate, each housing large Buddha images, the smell of incense constant, monks going about their practice in the smaller chapels to the sides. The setting feels less staged than comparable complexes at more prominent tourist destinations, and the monks are genuinely working religious community rather than performers. Admission to the temple complex is free; there is a separate fee to climb the pagoda.