Jingci Temple sits at the foot of Nanping Hill on the southern shore of West Lake, just below Leifeng Pagoda. Founded in 954 AD, it was once one of the most important Buddhist monasteries in southern China. The current halls, rebuilt in the 1980s and 1990s after Cultural Revolution destruction, house a large bronze Buddha and the famous Jingci Bell — the original Tang-dynasty bell's tolling gave rise to a proverb still quoted today.
The temple is a working monastery and the atmosphere is more contemplative than many of Hangzhou's tourist-heavy sites. The 108 bronze bells in the bell tower are rung at sunrise on the Lunar New Year. The walk from the temple along the southern lakeshore back toward Broken Bridge takes about an hour and is one of the finest stretches for experiencing West Lake on foot.