The monastery lies 1.5 km east of Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum and was first built in 514 and was moved to the present location in 1381. When the first Emperor Zhu Yuan-zhang was building his tomb, he had a temple on the site torn down and rebuilt a few kilometers to the east. Of this temple only the Beamless Hall (so called because it is built entirely of bricks) remains. The structure has an interesting vaulted ceiling and a large stone platform where Buddhist statues used to be seated. In the 1930s the hall was turned into a memorial to those who died in the 1926-28 revolution.

To the north of the Beamless Hall stands the nine-storey Linggu Pagoda, which was constructed in 1929. The long climb to the top is rewarded with a magnificent view over wooded countryside.

Nanjing Photo Gallery