Nanputuo Temple Five 01d Men Mtn

2 min read

Besides being one of Fujian’s major temples，Nanpituo Temple also backs on to a very attractive and path-riddled mountain called Five 01d Men Mtn.（Waldo Feng）.Allow quite a lot of time for this walk，as it can also lead to treks through XMU，10，000 Stone Botanic Garden，and link up with many other very interesting walks，probably too many for just one day.If you want to spend a half day，just stick to Nanputuo’s walao Feng and go back down or cross the mountain to the Botanic Gardens and exit the entrance.This walk will be described first.

Catch any bus that goes to Xidmen University（XMU），e.g.，1，15，71，45，etc.

Nanputuo Temple is very visible as you arrive.Pay 3 Yuan to enter the main gate，and you will pass a number of very fine Meditation and Worship Halls-usually a crowded area.Keep advancing towards the rear.Don’t worry which route you take because there are many，and they all lead upwards.Signboards show where you are，

but just keep taking any stairs that go UP and don’t stray too far to the left or right edges, unless you want to explore the many fascinating pavilions, grottoes and lookouts that abound in this marvellous place. As you get higher, there are more lookouts, including one magnificent railed platform on top of a great boulder.

Go on until after about half an hour of steady climbing on well-crafted stone steps, you reach the rest area at the top of Wildo Feng. There is a little refreshment stall there, as well as a gate for paying your entrance fee into the Botanic Gardens. It is possible to bypass this gate by heading off to the right of the summit but the track is not well developed and there are many forks to help you get lost. Unless you have local assistance, better to pay the money. This track goes down dale and up hi11, crossing a concrete road that leads to an army base nestledamong the many little peaks on this rugged and complex set of hills. Keep your eye open for the Cactus Garden, housed in a glass house. To the right of this, there is a back track that goes through another mountain, offering great views and joining upwith another road that meets the Botanic Garden track in a different place. When you meet any track, keep taking left turns if you want to end up in the Gardens and not in the army base or eventually, XMU, though these are well worth a visit, though perhaps on another day.