138 
WANDERINGS IN CHINA. 
Chap. IX. 
scenery which I had ever witnessed before in China. 
The temple stands at the head of a fertile valley in the 
bosom of the hills. This valley is well watered by clear 
streams, which flow from the mountains, and produces 
most excellent crops of rice. The tea-shrubs, with their 
dark green leaves, are seen dotted on the lower sides of 
all the more fertile hills. The temple itself is approached 
by a long avenue of Chinese pine-trees. This avenue is at 
first straight, but near the temple it winds in a most 
picturesque manner round the edges of two artificial 
lakes, and then ends in a flight of stone steps, which 
lead up to the principal entrance. Behind, and on each 
side, the mountains rise, ia irregular ridges, from one to 
two thousand feet above the level of the sea. These are 
not like the barren southern mountains, but are clothed 
nearly to their summits with a dense tropical-looking 
mass of brushwood, shrubs, and trees. Some of the finest 
bamboos of China are grown in the ravines, and the 
sombre-coloured pine attains to a large size on the sides 
of the hills. 
After we had breakfasted, one of the head priests came 
and gave us a very pressing invitation to dine with him 
about mid-day ; and in the mean time he accompanied 
us over the monastery, of which he gave the following 
history: — " Many hundred years ago a pious old man 
retired from the world, and came to dwell in these 
mountains, giving himself up entirely to the perform- 
ance of religious duties. So earnest was he in his devo- 
tions that he neglected everji^hing relating to his tem- 
poral wants, even to his daily food. Providence, however, 
would not sufler so good a man to starve. Some boys 
