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Hangzhou - Temple of the Soul's Retreat (Lingyin Si)

This is an old pagoda shrine, very ancient, highly revered. It is in one of the garden squares in the temple site. This is another example of the serenity and quietness available at this temple site, providing you get a break from the crowds.

You can count the nine (ah! that auspicious number once again in architecture) roofs to this pagoda, bringing favor with the gods and aligning with the universe.

It is amazing that such antiquities are so open to the public, yet most are without graffiti or recent damage (those that made it through the Cultural Revolution).

In a crowded tourist spot such as this, you might get a first-hand demonstration of the lack of queuing control that is culturally part of China. A line is western, eastern culture simply charges for the entrance. It isn't bad manners locally.