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Place
Gu Shan (鼓山, "Drum Hill") rises directly east of central Fuzhou, overlooking the Min River. It gets its name from a large drum-shaped rock at the summit that is said to resonate in the wind. Two attractions make it worth a half-day:
- Yongquan Temple (涌泉寺) — founded in 783 AD during the Tang dynasty, one of the "five great Buddhist temples" of China's southeast. Note the two ceramic stupas at the entrance and the scripture hall collection.
- Stone-carving trails — more than 500 cliffside inscriptions accumulated over a thousand years by poets, monks and officials. The trail linking them is well-shaded and manageable for any fitness level.
Access: cable car from the lower station to the summit (10 minutes, good photo stop), or a 1.5-hour stone-step hike for the full experience. Bus 60 from downtown; Metro Line 2 under construction will reach the foot of the mountain.
Best combined with: a Minjiang night cruise the same evening — the cable car down lines up with sunset.