On the shore of Lake Taihu by Lingshan Mountain in Wuxi lies the Nianhua Bay in the Lingshan Town. Zen is the core cultural connotation of Lingshan Town - Nianhua Bay. The colorful clouds, candlelight and incense, morning bell and evening drum, fishing light and evening singing are all part of the Zen life, and there is a minimalist oriental Zen here.
The word "picking up flowers" originates from the Buddhist allusion of "Buddha smiling while picking up a flower", which means to make all people happy from the heart, and this is the case with Nianhua Bay. There is no hustle and bustle, no peddler's hawking, only the sound of guzheng coming from far away to calm people’s mind.
Nianhua Bay features the style and charm of the Tang and Song Dynasties and is elegant and unsophisticated. Walking in the streets and passing through quaint stores in the town gives you the impression of travelling back to the Tang and Song Dynasties. Every brick and tile, every rock and stone are carefully designed by craftsmen. The Zen architecture and landscape here are all “alive”, just like growing out of nature.
In Nianhua Bay, whether you are watching the tea master brewing tea in a tea house, or lazing by the carved fence, lazily basking in the afternoon sun and smelling the sweet scent of flowers and plants, it is a leisurely and relaxing enjoyment.
