# Tiantai Mountain travel guide (天台山) Zhejiang Province · East China, China · 8 places Canonical: https://cnatrip.com/en/destinations/zhejiang/tiantai-mountain ## Quick itinerary - **Day 1:** Guoqing Temple → Chicheng Mountain → Jigong's Former Residence - **Day 2:** Shiliang → Huading → Qiongtai Fairy Valley ## The feel of the place - **Jigong:** For many people, the Buddhist Tiantai School is unfamiliar, yet almost everyone knows Jigong. Mount Tiantai is renowned as the birthplace of the Tiantai School of Buddhism and the hometown of Jigong, the 'Living Buddha.' - **Tourist Bus:** Xikou Town has three bus stops: Xikou Bus Station, Wuling Square Station, and the transfer station at the Xuedoushan Visitor Centre. Buses run every 30 minutes and the fare is ¥2. Local taxis within the scenic area are also available: flag fall is ¥6 for the first 2 km, then ¥1.8 per km beyond 2 km. ## The feel of the place ### Yunjin Azalea Festival Every May, the Yunjin Azalea Festival is held on Mount Tiantai, featuring a photography competition, tea ceremony performances, and exhibitions of local specialties and snacks. ### Preparation and Advice ### Climate and Travel Season Mount Tiantai is a famous summer retreat in southeastern Zhejiang. The best time to visit is April to October; visiting in July and August lets you enjoy the scenery while escaping the scorching sun. The local customs here are simple and unpretentious, and some folk traditions are fascinating. Taking part in a local wedding, where you can experience the sedan-chair procession and the 'bridal chamber teasing,' is an unusual experience that feels like stepping back into the 1930s and 1940s. ### Getting Around Town - tip: You can walk to the sights you want to see in Xikou Town, or take a pedicab, whose driver will accompany you around the town's scenic spots. To explore the scenery on the mountain, the sightseeing train or cable car is a good choice. ## Getting there & around ### Getting There Mount Tiantai lies in central-eastern Zhejiang and is very easy to reach. ### By Rail Tiantai Station is an intermediate stop on the Hangzhou–Taizhou High-Speed Railway. Trains currently run to cities including Shanghai, Suzhou, Xiamen, Shenzhen, Hefei and Wuhan. Visitors from northern cities may choose Hangzhou as a transfer point to Mount Tiantai. ### By Road Shanghai is 389 km from Mount Tiantai: take the Shanghai–Hangzhou–Ningbo Expressway from Xinzhuang to Guzhu, then transfer to the Shangyu–Sanmen Expressway directly to Tiantai. From Hangzhou East Bus Station, Zhejiang Express coaches reach Tiantai in just 2 hours. Zhejiang Express runs daily from Ningbo to Tiantai, taking 1.5 hours. Tiantai also has frequent departures to Shaoxing (1.5 hours), Taizhou (2 hours) and Wenzhou (4 hours). ### Tiantai Passenger Transport Terminal ### 0576-83901022 Specific driving routes and journey times are as follows: ### Local Transport All major scenic areas of Mount Tiantai are served by buses of various sizes, and visitors can explore the scenic areas on foot. Xikou, south of Fenghua in Ningbo, can be reached by several roads. Coaches to Xikou depart from the South Bus Station beside Ningbo Railway Station; the fare is about ¥12, the distance is 30 km, and the trip takes just over half an hour. Ningbo Lishe Airport is only 15 km from Xikou; a taxi costs about ¥40. The Shanghai Tourist Distribution Centre runs special tourist coaches to Xikou on Saturdays and Sundays. In addition, minibuses depart frequently from Xikou to Fenghua, Yuyao, Xinchang and other places. - **Hangzhou** — Hangzhou–Ningbo Expressway (Guzhu exit) → Shangyu–Sanmen Expressway → Tiantai exit (2 hours) - **Shanghai** — Shanghai–Hangzhou Expressway → Hangzhou–Ningbo Expressway (Guzhu exit) → Shangyu–Sanmen Expressway → Tiantai exit (3.5 hours) - **Wuxi and Changzhou Area** — Suzhou–Jiaxing–Hangzhou Expressway → Hangzhou–Ningbo Expressway (Guzhu exit) → Shangyu–Sanmen Expressway → Tiantai exit (4.5 hours) - **Nanjing** — Nanjing–Hangzhou Expressway → Hangzhou–Ningbo Expressway (Guzhu exit) → Shangyu–Sanmen Expressway → Tiantai exit (4.5 hours) - **Wenzhou** — Ningbo–Taizhou–Wenzhou Expressway (Sanmen exit) → Shangyu–Sanmen Expressway → Tiantai exit (1.5 hours) - **Ningbo** — Ningbo–Taizhou–Wenzhou Expressway (Sanmen exit) → Shangyu–Sanmen Expressway → Tiantai exit (1.5 hours) - **Jinhua** — Yiwu → Dongyang → Shengzhou → Xinchang → Tiantai (provincial highway) (2.5 hours) ## Eat & drink ### Local Snacks Xikou's 'Three Treasures': taro head (yutou), thousand-layer cake (qianceng bing) and honey peach, all of which are delicacies not to be missed. ### Good-Value Eateries As at many other mountain scenic areas, the higher-end restaurants are mostly in the big hotels, such as the Wuling Villa restaurant, the Fenghua Grand Hotel restaurant and the Huaxia Hotel restaurant. For lunch in Xikou, though, there is no need to go to a restaurant: on the open ground in front of Wenchang Pavilion on the north bank of the Shan River, many locals set up snack stalls, where you can taste local specialties at affordable prices. Yuanwaiyuan Home-Style Restaurant displays its prices clearly, and its taro and pork ribs are good. - **Jiaobing Tong** — The most distinctive food of Mount Tiantai, a local festival treat traditionally made only at Qingming, the Ghost Festival, the Winter Solstice and Spring Festival. Today it is also served to visiting friends and relatives. The wrapper is made by mixing flour with water into a batter and cooking it into thin sheets, and the fillings are rich and varied. - **Danqing Yangwei** — This snack is prepared in a distinctive way. First, red bean paste is mixed with white sugar into a paste, shaped into balls and wrapped in caul fat. Next, egg whites (yolks removed) are beaten until stiff and mixed with a little sweet potato starch. The caul-fat-wrapped balls are then rolled evenly in the seasoned egg white and deep-fried twice. - **Yunai Tou** — Golden-brown in colour and round or oblong in shape, with pink tips. Its “duck-sauce taro” (鸭汁芋艿) is a famous local dish from Fenghua. - **Qiancengbing (Thousand-Layer Cake)** — Founded in 1878. Made mainly from wheat flour with added brown sugar, sesame, peanuts and an appropriate amount of laver (taicai) powder, through 12 steps. In Xikou, the “Wangmaolong” and “Qianzhang Feizhu” brands are considered the most authentic. ## Shopping Tiantai is famous for its medicinal herbs, especially notoginseng (sanqi), gastrodia (tianma) and atractylodes (baizhu). Handicrafts such as straw weaving, bamboo weaving and embroidered clothing have also long been admired. Because Tiantai’s high mountains are often shrouded in mist, its Zhonghua Dingwu tea (中华顶雾茶) is considered a treasure among China’s green teas, prized for its “glossy green colour, clear liquor and rich, fragrant flavour.” Tiantai produces high-quality mountain tea and is also the birthplace of Eastern tea culture, the Chinese tea ceremony. ## Where to stay ### Xikou - **Tiantai Hotel** — The only hotel in Tiantai converted to four-star standards for foreign tourists. Located beside Guoqing Temple, it is surrounded by mountains and water. Its buildings rise and fall with the hills, with small bridges and flowing streams winding through, resembling a classical garden in Jiangnan. (North of Guoqing Temple, Mount Tiantai, 0576-83888888) - **Jigong Ju Hotel** — Located beside the Jigong Former Residence in Yongning Village, the birthplace of the living Buddha Jigong. (453 Chicheng Road, Tiantai, 0576-83890058) - **Ningbo Xikou International Youth Hostel** — 15 minutes’ walk to the Xuedou Mountain scenic area; 10 minutes’ walk to Madam Jiang’s Tomb Passage. (Building 3, Block 8, Yuyu Community, Shangbai Village, near Mingshan Jiangnan Road, 0574-88855617) - **Zhonglin Nanyuan Yunshang Qingxi Hotel** — A “tree house hotel” that immerses guests in nature and revives the pleasures of the wild. This upscale eco-luxury resort combines accommodation, dining, conferences, relaxation and experiences. (Within the Shangliang Gang tourist resort, Donglan section, Xikou Town, 0574-88888788) ## Things to see - **Guoqing Temple** (★★★★): Admission Free; Opening hours 7：30—16：00; Time needed 1–2 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/guoqing-temple - **Chicheng Mountain** (★★★): Admission ¥15; Opening hours 8：00—16：00; Time needed 1–2 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/chicheng-mountain - **Tiantai Mountain Great Waterfall** (★★★★): Admission ¥100; Opening hours 8：00—15：00; Time needed 2–4 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/tiantai-mountain-great-waterfall - **Shiliang Flying Waterfall** (★★★★): Admission ¥60; Opening hours 8：00—16：00; Time needed 2–4 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/shiliang-flying-waterfall - **Huading Forest Park** (★★★★): Admission ¥50; Opening hours 08:00-16:00; Time needed 2–4 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/huading-forest-park - **Qiongtai Fairy Valley** (★★★★): Admission ¥65; Opening hours 08:00-16:00; Time needed 3–4 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/qiongtai-fairy-valley - **Xikou** (★★★★): Admission Full-area combo ticket ¥230 (includes ¥20 scenic-area transport fee; Xuedou Temple costs an extra ¥10). Former Residence of Chiang Kai-shek ¥120 (includes Wuling Gate, Xikou Museum, Wenchang Pavilion, Qishui Bridge, Yanxi Xiaozhu, Wuling Middle School, Chiang Ancestral Hall, Fenghao House, Yutai Salt Shop, Mohe Hall, Wuling Park, Wei Qi's Tomb, Chiang Mother's Tomb Path at Fenghao House, Azalea Valley and Butterfly World). Xuedou Mountain ¥120 (excluding Xuedou Temple). ¥148; Opening hours 8：30—17：00; Time needed 1–2 days — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/xikou - **Xuedou Mountain** (★★★★): Admission From ¥150 (children under 6 years old/under 1.2 m free; ages 6-18 half price; ages 60-69 half price, ages 70 and over free; students half price; active-duty military personnel/disabled people free, etc.); Opening hours Winter 08:30-16:30 (last entry 15:00); summer 08:00-17:00 (last entry 15:00); Time needed 0.5 days — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/xuedou-mountain --- Source: China Self-Guided Travel 2025 (《中国自助游》, Tianjin Science & Technology Press, Aug 2024), pp. 1234–1245. Prices, hours and transport details are as printed in the August 2024 edition and may have changed. Always confirm with the venue before you travel.