Drum Hill

Overview

The hill was formed 135 million years ago, it is called drum hill because on the top of the hill stands a large stone, which is as smooth as a drum, it is said that when storms coming, the drum-like stone would rumble as if it were a real drum. The main peak is 969 meters high and the total area is 48 square kilometers.

The hill has beautiful sceneries and has always been the Buddhism resort at Fuzhou. Yongquan temple, which was built for more than 1000 years, lies in the mountain basin at the altitude of 450 meters on the southwest side of the main peak. The magnificent temple is carefully designed, which means you can't never see the temple when you are on the hill, and when you enter the temple, the hills are out of your sight. It is considered as the essence of China's ancient architecture.

Besides the temple there is a pottery Buddhism tower, it is quite rare in China. On  the east side of the temple, you can see 200 stone inscriptions, which had been carved since Song Dynasty and 20 scenic spots, such as Drinking stone, Shuiyun pavilion and stone gate. In the south, you can visit more than 50 places such as the Dragon pavilion, orchid garden, Buddha's platform, and Songtao building.

The western side of the temple has mainly grottoes, "the 18 Grottoes" is the most beautiful. In the north, there are over 40 places to see, such as Phoenix pond, Baiyun cave and Haiyin cave. What's more, there are over 180 stone inscriptions in the hill, which are famously called the Forest of Steles in Fuzhou.

The ropeway of Drum Hill is 1172 meters long, it can take you from the mountain foot to the viewing platform, so you can go to Yongquan temple by walking about 10 minutes.

Feature

It has been a tourist attraction since Song Dynasty, now it is considered as one of the top ten scenic spots in Fujian Province.

Location

In the east suburb of Fuzhou city, at the north bank of Min River, about 17 kilometers from the city center.

Traffic

you can go to the Drum Hill by taking bus No. 36, 7, 815, 812, 808, 937, 69, 957 and 960, and get off the bus at Drum Hill station.