A thousand-year-old Buddhist temple hides Jinling, today we are fortunate to meet at Jiming Temple

Three incense sticks carry wishes, climb the Buddhist pagoda to embrace the lake and mountains, red walls photographed everywhere, sandalwood fragrance fills the sleeves, stealing half a day of Zen in this fleeting life. The ginkgo trees at Jiming Temple in Nanjing are one of the great autumn sights of Jinling, usually from mid to late November to early December, when the ginkgo leaves turn completely yellow, entering the best viewing period. Tickets and admission: 10 yuan, including three incense sticks. Opening hours: 7:30-17:00, may be extended on holidays. We arrived at Jiming Temple around 11 a.m., there weren’t many people, so we first bought a city wall ticket and found a spot outside to take a few photos (personal suggestion: take half-body shots). The ginkgo trees outside the city wall complement the temple, and in the warm light of Taicheng, we encountered the Buddha’s light emanating from the ancient temple. The gold leaf on the pagoda’s tip caught the sunlight and settled in the heart. Then we entered the temple and of course took many photos at the entrance (friendly reminder: the iconic entrance is the manual entrance; the other entrance is electronic and does not have yellow walls). After entering the temple and climbing to the top, you can get three incense sticks with your ticket on the side. Viewing and photo spots inside the temple: • East side of the Yakushi Buddha Pagoda: This is a classic spot, with ancient ginkgo trees paired with yellow walls, the color contrast is vivid and very Zen. • Entrance of the Hall of Heavenly Kings: There are two ancient ginkgo trees at the entrance. After worshipping, stay here to feel the bright mood brought by the golden ginkgo. • Pilu Treasure Hall: The stone steps in front of the hall, combined with red maples and the incense burner’s blue smoke, make an excellent spot for taking ancient-style photos. Forgot to mention, the latte at Jiming Temple is quite good!