Why is the Feilai Feng special?
Standing 209 metres (700 feet) tall, the Feilai Feng Mountain is among the most distinctive of the city’s landmarks and is unique from the sandstone mountains that surround it in that it is a limestone formation.
Feilai Feng Highlights
Among all the mountains around West Lake, Feilai Feng is the one most likely to simulate the imagination and make one reluctant to leave. Some even say that one experience at Fei Lai Feng will leave you with memories that will last the rest of your life.
Legend about the name
A well-known legend states that an Indian monk named Huili arrived here 1,600 years ago and was surprised to see a peak so different from others. He believed that the peak had flown over from India because the shape, although unique in China, was common in India. However, he did not know why the peak would have flown to this spot so far from his country. Hence the peak's name was created and has passed down to the present day.
Limestone Mountain
Feilai Feng is a pure limestone mountain that is very distinctive from the sandstone mountains around it. Large stones scattered along the peak are said to resemble animals like a flying dragon, a running elephant, a crouching tiger, and a fleeing monkey.
Stone Statutes
The caves of this mountain shelter about 330 stone statues dating from the 10th to the 14th centuries. The statues appear in a variety of poses ranging from standing, to sitting, to sleeping.
A favorite may be the Laughing Buddha, sitting on the cliff along the stream with exposed breast and belly. If you wonder why he has such a big belly, the answer is that his belly is where the Buddha keeps all of the world's troubles.
The question always comes out "why are there so many Buddha statues in the cave?" Local legend has it that the peak had destroyed many villages before it settled down in Hangzhou. In order to prevent the peak from causing even more damage, hundreds of Buddha statues were carved out of the peak to suppress it. Therefore, the water-eroded caves in the peak are regarded as the very birthplace of many local legends.
China Grotto Art Garden
In 1993, a new site by the name of "China Grotto Art Garden" was set up around the Feilai Feng. Thousands of professionals and aficionados in the fields of engraving and grotto research flock to this place to study the unparalleled Chinese classical rock carvings.