Dayunfeng Temple in the mountains of Miyun district is a three-hour rail journey from downtown Beijing. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Visitors attracted by peace and quiet at mountain venues

Temples provide a welcome change of pace from city life by offering peace and quiet, along with the chance to taste distinctive cuisine.

Visitors can also experience Zen practice at temples — a method through which the mind becomes settled and aware, unencumbered by thoughts, while being capable of more focused thinking.

In September, Beijing resident Lyu Bingjie, 28, took a three-hour train journey to Dayunfeng Temple, which lies deep in the mountains of Miyun district, northeastern Beijing.

"I had always wanted to visit a temple as a volunteer worker, especially after seeing the disciplined and peaceful experiences shared online by other volunteers," Lyu said.

Pressure from her job at an internet company fueled her desire to visit a temple. "I was working overtime often and my daily routine was irregular. I was looking forward to taking a break," she said.

Lyu decided to put her plan into practice after being involved in a fall, which resulted in her eyelids requiring stitches. "There were so many negative feelings building up inside me that I had to blow off steam," she said.

Visitors are attracted to Dayunfeng Temple by its scenic splendor and tranquility.[Photo provided to China Daily]

For the visit to Dayunfeng Temple, a Buddhist structure originally built during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), Lyu took a Friday off and packed a few essentials for the train journey.

"The trip provided me with a totally new experience. I am not religious, but it felt really good to experience the kindness and devotion shown by those at the temple," she said.

During her stay, Lyu helped clean the dormitories and prepare food as part of her voluntary work. She rose early each day and went to bed shortly after darkness fell.

One of the things she liked most about her visit was being able to relax in the temple courtyard as the wind blew from the mountains.

"Life suddenly became simple, and all my worries seemed to disappear," she said.

Lyu said she is generally outgoing, as she loves to spend time with friends watching arts performances, but the serenity at the temple gave her an inner peace.

A volunteer stands before a white stupa at Nuonata Temple.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Welcome change

In early March, travel blogger Tan Qi, 28, signed up for five days of Zen practice at Nuonata Temple in Lushan, Jiangxi province.

First built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) on Mount Lushan, the Buddhist temple offers three five-day Zen sessions to a total of about 150 people each month.

"I saw the temple on the Xiaohongshu social media platform and immediately wanted to visit it," said Tan, who comes from Chongqing.

"It offers a change that I had long wanted to experience, but had never been able to," he said, adding that the flexible hours of his job led to him developing bad habits.

"I used to stay up late a lot and didn't get up until noon. I knew I was doing myself a disservice, but couldn't seem to stop such behavior," he said.

Tan decided to visit the temple to restore some discipline to his life. However, he found there were many applicants for the limited number of places available.

"I had to contact a person in charge of the registration to ensure I submitted my personal details on time," said Tan, who also completed a form to show just how serious he was about making the visit.

He was excited on hearing he had been accepted, but soon found he was struggling to adapt to the highly disciplined life at the temple.

Travel blogger Tan Qi chats with a monk at the temple.[Photo provided to China Daily]

"The first day was really hard, as I had to get up before 6 am for morning meditation," he said.

After meditation, a simple breakfast was served, before Tan was assigned to cleaning work. Later, he studied Buddhist scriptures and attended recitals, lectures and discussions hosted by senior monks. "It was tiring work, but very relaxing and fulfilling," he said.

He quickly became accustomed to the new routine and started to appreciate it more.

"I especially enjoyed the tea session at night with a senior master. He answered our questions about life and offered advice that was convincing and easy to understand," he said.

The five-day stay enabled Tan to acquire good habits, which included rising and going to bed early. "I never used to eat breakfast before, but now I feel bad if I don't," he said.

The temple experience also eased his anxiety.

"I looked at the source of my negative emotions — most of which were unnecessary — and I now know how to stay positive," Tan said.

When he posted news of his temple experience on Xiaohongshu, many of his 50,000 followers asked him for more details about the visit.

"I was surprised by their curiosity and enthusiasm, and I now realize many people might want to experience the same thing as I did," Tan said.

Young people such as Lyu and Tan are increasingly visiting temples mostly situated in mountainous areas that offer close contact with nature.

Major online travel agency Trip.com Group reports that bookings to temple-related scenic spots have more than tripled since February.

The agency said the most popular venues are: Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province; Hanshan Temple in Suzhou, Jiangsu province; Baima Temple in Luoyang, Henan province; and Great Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, Shaanxi province.

Visitors either go to temples for fun, or stay for a few days to experience Zen practice — recharging their batteries before they return to the hustle and bustle of city life.

More tourism and cultural elements have been introduced to areas near temples to appeal to young visitors.

Creative cultural souvenirs are available near Shaolin Temple in Henan province, known for being a birthplace of kung fu. In Beijing, Longquan Temple has introduced a robot that recites scriptures, plays Buddhist music, and engages visitors in conversation about Buddhist teachings.

Trip.com Group has launched temple-themed visits to Buddhist sites such as Mount Putuo, Zhejiang, and Mount Wutai, Shanxi province, as well as those offering Zen practice. These trips have proved popular with young travelers.

The agency said those born after 1990 account for nearly 50 percent of visitors heading to scenic spots that boast a temple.

Visitors chant ancient texts at Nuonata Temple at dusk.[Photo provided to China Daily]

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Fully booked

Zheng Huan, a volunteer who has helped with publicity work at Nuonata Temple for three years, said, "Our program is fully booked all the time, and about 80 percent of the participants are in their twenties or thirties."

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The temple began offering Zen practice to the public in 2001, Zheng said, adding, "It was very popular, and we received hundreds of applications each time, but had to choose them carefully due to the limited capacity at the temple."

As a young Zen practitioner, Zheng said she thinks that people her age discover that temples are not as mysterious as they imagined, thanks to the rising number of online short videos showcasing the tranquility and simple life offered at these locations.

"They discover that temples are quite approachable and offer a type of serenity they can get close to," she said.

Shu Boyang, professor at the School of Business Administration at Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, said the enthusiasm for temples reflects the desire among some young people to pursue inner peace, rather than external excitement. This enthusiasm perhaps also shows that society, especially its younger members, is paying more attention to spiritual values, Shu added.

A volunteer rings an iron plate to summon diners to lunch at Nuonata Temple, Jiangxi province.[Photo provided to China Daily]

"Young people consider temple visits fashionable, which is another reason such trips have become popular," Shu said.

Online influencers sharing their experience of soaring temple eaves, celestial music and texts advocating healthy lifestyles have attracted considerable attention from their followers.

Experts said young people also visit temples to stay in mountainous areas to watch dawn and sunset at a relatively low cost.

Shu said the enthusiasm for temples shows that the cultural and tourism industries need to pay close attention to social trends to create products that provide more spiritual experiences.

Tan, the travel blogger, said he would definitely return to Nuonata Temple at the end of this year, perhaps as a volunteer.

"The people there were so content. They smiled at us whenever they crossed our path. Everything was so peaceful that you simply became immersed in the positive energy and became part of it all," Tan said.

"This helps you realize what is most important in life."