Qixia (Northeast Hills)

Qixia Temple was founded in 489 CE during the Southern Qi dynasty and has been one of the major Buddhist monastic centres of southern China ever since. The temple complex is built into the southern slope of Qixia Mountain (also called She Shan), with temple halls ascending the hillside in stages and a substantial library of Buddhist scriptures and ceramic sutras.

The Thousand Buddha Cliff — Qianfo Yan — is a remarkable Buddhist rock-carving site dating from the late 5th and 6th centuries. Hundreds of small Buddhist niches with carved figures cover the cliff face above the temple, in a technique and tradition continuous with the Northern Wei carving traditions of Yungang and Longmen but adapted to the southern climate's softer stone. The carvings have suffered from weathering and historical iconoclasm but remain a substantive site for early Chinese Buddhist art.

Qixia Mountain itself is a low forested ridge (286m at Sheshan summit) that provides several hours of moderate hiking with viewpoints back across Nanjing. The autumn maple display, peaking in early November in normal years, draws weekenders from across the Yangtze Delta — early-morning weekday visits are essential to avoid the crowds.

The Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge (eastern flank, distinct from the better-known central bridge) crosses the Yangtze immediately north of Qixia. The suburb of Liuhe across the river is administratively part of Nanjing and accessible from Qixia by bus.