Baota Temple is a Buddhist attraction in Changzhou’s western Jintan District. It is located near a revolutionary martyr’s cemetery and Gulongshan Park.
There are a number of the usual attractions to be seen — altars and dedicated spaces to kneel and pray or to light candles and burn incense. One of the more specialized spaces is an intricate hall of luohans.
The hundreds of statues here are both colorful and detailed. While Buddhist temples usually have some depictions of luohans, this one is more of the epic scale that can found at Dalin in eastern Changzhou. That temple however, has Buddhist saints with more exaggerated features — literally, the arms and legs are much longer than at Jintan’s Baota.
One of the more unique things here are the little statues of kids in monk’s garb.
And, of course, if a visitor climbs to the top of the pagoda, they can get a good panorama of Jintan and the surrounding parks. Since this temple is in an out of the way location from the intercity bus station, it is best to pair a visit hear to Gulongshan Park, which is hilly and a good place to take a woodland walk. The day I visited, nobody at Baota charged an admission fee.