Jinshan Temple

Jinshan Temple was founded in the fourth century on what was then an island in the Yangtze, later joined to the bank as the river shifted. Its buildings wrap the hill so completely that the saying holds the temple hides the mountain, with halls, corridors and the Cishou Pagoda stacked up the slope. It is the setting of one of China's four great folk legends: the White Snake, in which the spirit Bai Suzhen floods the temple to free her husband from the monk Fahai, an episode retold in opera and film for centuries. The Fahai cave, the Zhongling spring rated first under heaven for tea, and views over the Yangtze complete the site.

The main sights

• The wrapped hill - buildings covering the slope so the rock barely shows.
• The Cishou Pagoda - the tower at the summit with river views.
• The White Snake associations - the Fahai cave and legend sites.
• The Zhongling spring - the water long rated among the best for tea.

When to go

March to May and September to November; Zhenjiang summers are hot and humid. The temple is quieter than Suzhou or Hangzhou sites. Chinese holidays bring domestic visitors.

Good to know

Much of the complex is rebuilt after fires and wars. The climb involves many steps. English interpretation is minimal, and the legend that gives the temple its resonance is unfamiliar to most foreign visitors.

Nearby

Jiaoshan and Beigushan are Zhenjiang's other river hills; Nanjing lies west.