# Nanhua Temple (南华寺)

Northern Guangdong, Guangdong Province · South China, China · Guidebook rating: 4/5
Canonical: https://cnatrip.com/en/places/nanhua-temple
Language: en

## Key facts

- **Admission:** ¥20
- **Opening hours:** 8：00—17：00
- **Time needed:** 2–3 hours
- **Getting there:** Minibuses run directly to Nanhua Temple from opposite Shaoguan Railway Station. Nanhua Temple tourist shuttle buses also depart from the main railway station bus stop (Beijiang Road).
- **Good for:** Architecture, Temples

## About Nanhua Temple

The Sixth Patriarch of Chan Buddhism, Huineng, presided over Caoxi and developed the Southern school of Chan. For this reason, Buddhists refer to Nanhua Temple as the “Ancestral Court” (Zuting). According to legend, after Huineng recited his famous verse “Bodhi has no tree,” the Fifth Patriarch secretly passed on his robe and bowl to him. Huineng then travelled south to this place to practise, founding one of the schools of Chan Buddhism.

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Source: China Self-Guided Travel 2025 (《中国自助游》, Tianjin Science & Technology Press, Aug 2024), p. 2393. 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.
Site: China Trip (https://cnatrip.com) — independent China travel guide in 13 languages.