The temple is situated on the western shore of West Lake, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

[1] The temple's main hall houses a statue of Sakyamuni Buddha and is surrounded by beautiful gardens and pavilions.

It was first built in 954 by King Qian Chu of the Wuyue kingdom for a famous monk Yongming Yanshou.

Specially, there is a newly forged copper bell in 1984 with the assistance of Eihei-ji, one of the head temple of Soto Zen Buddhism.

It hosts one of Ten Scenes of West Lake, "Evening Bell Ringing at the Nanping Hill" (南屏晚钟).