5 things not to miss
Work your way in from the east gate, then climb the hill to finish — allow two to three hours to do it comfortably.
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Walk in through the east gate and you reach a big pond full of lotus flowers, turtles and fish — the pond where Buddhists release animals to set them free. An orange-roofed pavilion and a stone bridge cross the water, with twin stone pagodas and the green slopes of Wulao Peak behind. It is the most photographed corner of the whole temple. Take your time strolling along the pond before you reach the main halls.
The hall people queue to pray at is the Great Compassion Hall, an elegant octagonal building with three stacked roofs that looks striking from every angle. Inside sits a thousand-armed Guanyin (the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara), carved to face several directions, with incense drifting over the chanting all day. This is the reason for the temple's name — it honours Guanyin in the same way as Mount Putuo. Locals come to pray for health and family here.
A short way up the hill behind the temple you reach the carved character 佛 (pronounced "fó", meaning Buddha), cut deep into a red cliff face about 4.6 metres tall and over 3 metres wide. It is a favourite photo spot, where people stand beside it to show just how big it is. Scattered around are more old inscriptions and poems carved into the rocks — traces left by poets and officials who visited over the centuries.
If you have the energy, keep climbing the stone steps up Wulao Peak — about 30 to 45 minutes to the viewpoints. The trail is shaded by big trees and oddly shaped boulders, and at the top the view opens right up: the temple roofs below, the whole campus of Xiamen University, the city, and the sea with Gulangyu Island floating in the distance. Late afternoon light is especially soft and beautiful — the reward for those who make the climb.
No visit is complete without the vegetarian food — the Nanputuo vegetarian restaurant has been famous across China for decades. The dishes are made entirely from mushrooms, tofu and vegetables, yet cooked and plated so beautifully that many of them barely seem meat-free. The fun part is that the menu gives dishes poetic names rather than listing ingredients. A small set starts around ¥59 (about ฿295) per person, and you can order individual plates too. It is packed at lunch, so arrive before 11am for an easier table.
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This photo shows the gate of Xiamen University, which sits directly beside the temple — almost everyone who comes to Nanputuo walks straight on to see the campus people call the prettiest in China, with its Jiageng-style buildings, mural tunnel, lotus pond and Baicheng beach behind. Entry requires advance registration with your passport and is capped per day, especially in term time. The policy changes often, so check the latest in our guide before you go.