Lingyan Temple is located at the northwestern foot of Mount Tai, in Wande Town, Changqing District, Jinan City. It was first built in the Eastern Jin Dynasty and has a history of over 1,600 years. The temple has a long history and a profound Buddhist heritage. As one of the four famous Buddhist temples in China, Lingyan Temple enjoys a flourishing incense.

The temple gate of Lingyan Temple is not directly opposite to the hall gates inside the temple; they are offset. After entering Lingyan Temple and passing several halls, you will reach the main hall, the Thousand - Buddha Hall. The Thousand - Buddha Hall was first built in the Tang Dynasty. In the main hall, the "Three - Body Buddha" covered with gold leaf is enshrined. There are hundreds of small wooden - carved Buddha statues on the four walls of the hall, from which the hall gets its name. However, the most remarkable attractions in the hall are the 40 clay - sculpted arhats sitting around. They have different expressions and postures, looking extremely lifelike. After visiting the Thousand - Buddha Hall, you can go around to the northwest behind the temple to admire the Pizhi Pagoda. It is a nine - story pavilion - style brick pagoda. The octagonal base of the pagoda is engraved with reliefs of Emperor Ashoka of the Maurya Dynasty in ancient India converting to Buddhism. It is also the iconic building of Lingyan Temple.

After visiting the Pizhi Pagoda, you can start climbing the mountain. The whole climbing process takes about 1.5 hours. There are several springs on the mountain, namely Zhuoxi Spring, Baihe Spring, and Shuanghe Spring. These three springs are adjacent to each other and are commonly known as "Three Springs within Five Steps". It is said that Zhuoxi Spring was obtained when an old monk poked the ground with his Zen staff. It is also one of the 72 famous springs in Jinan. Not far away is Jiasha Spring. Legend has it that when digging the spring, a piece of cast iron shaped like a kasaya was found beside the spring, so it got this name. The spring water flows continuously throughout the four seasons and is the main drinking water in the temple.

After leaving Ganlu Spring, continue climbing the mountain. The road signs on Lingyan Mountain are quite distinctive. Instead of using wooden signs, fluorescent - colored pens are used to write on the rocks with arrows attached, which are very eye - catching. Then you will come to Baiyun Temple. It is said that this is the place where Guanyin became an immortal. There is a natural cave here, and at the end of the cave, two statues of Guanyin are enshrined. After coming out, continue climbing to the top of the mountain, where you will find the Red Gate. The Red Gate is a small temple built on the mountaintop, in which a large stone Buddha is enshrined. Standing outside the Red Gate and looking into the distance, the summit of Mount Tai is in the clouds to the east. After the visit, you can return along the original route.