Ningbo Mount Xuedou One Day Tour
Xikou Fenghua is the hometown of Chiang Kai-shek, a Chinese political and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China between 1928 and 1975. As his mother was a holy Buddhist who visited Xuedou Temple often and had her ceremonial tablet in the temple after death, Chiang Kai-shek would pay a visit to the temple in memorial of his mother.
Set off early in the morning, it takes two hour and a half to drive to Mount Xuedou from Hangzhou. Mount Xuedou is the south branch of Siming Mountain, situated in the north-west of Xikou Town, 20 kilometers away from Ningbo. It is renowned for its splendid and wonderful scenery that is home to more than 60 attractions, among which the Xuedou Temple is the most attractive. In Xuedou Temple, there stands the largest Maitreya Buddha statue in China. The whole statue is made of copper, with a height of 33m, inside the statute there is a hall of 12,000 square meters. In front of Xuedou Temple, there is a waterfall of 186 meters. Miaogao Terrace is another famous attraction in Mount Xuedou. Chiang had built a villa on Miaogao Terrace in 1927, and every time when he came back home he would stay in the villa. General Zhang Xueliang was once under house arrest in the villa in Miaogao Terrace.
Multi-layer steamed bread and taro are specialties in Xikou. If you come in summer, please do have a try of the sweet peaches in Fenghua. At noon, we will some local dishes in Xikou in the small restaurant nearby.
After lunch, we will spend two hours visiting the old residence of Chiang’s, where Chiang Kai-shek had spent his childhood. We will go back to Hangzhou in late afternoon.