Traditionally, Hanshan Temple is believed to have been founded during the Tianjian era (502–519) of the reign of Emperor Wu of Liang, in the Southern and Northern dynasties period.

Hanshan Temple is famed in East Asia because of the poem "A Night Mooring by Maple Bridge" (楓橋夜泊), by Tang dynasty poet, Zhang Ji.

The poem describes the melancholy scene of a dejected traveler, moored at night at Fengqiao, hearing the bells of Hanshan Temple: 月落烏啼霜滿天， 江楓漁火對愁眠。 姑蘇城外寒山寺， 夜半鐘聲到客船。 Yuè luò wū tí shuāng mǎn tiān, Jiāng fēng yú huǒ duì chóu mián.

The moon is going down And the crows make a ruckus The sky is covered with frost There are maples on the riverbank And the lights of fishing boats Drift with the current I fall into a sad sleep from the monastery on Cold Mountain The sound of the bell Reaches the guest boat at midnight To this day, the poem is still often read in China, Japan and Korea, and is part of the Chinese literature curriculum in both China and Japan.

The original Tang dynasty bell is believed by some (including Itō Hirobumi and modern Chinese statesman Kang Youwei) to have been taken to Japan in ancient times.