Lying at the foot of the Nanping Huiri Peak, the Jingci Temple (Temple of Pure Mercy) was built by Qian Hongshu in 954, the first year of Xiade of Late Zhou Dynasty in the period of Five Dynasties, to accommodate Monk Yongming, the Founder of Buddhism in China, and it has a history of more than 1,000 years. The temple was first named "Huiri Yongming Temple" and was renamed Jingci Temple in the Southern Song Dynasty, known as the "Four Temples of the West Lake" along with the Lingyin Temple, Zhaoqing Temple and Duiyin Temple. There is a legend which says that Master Ji once stayed here and cultivated himself according to the religious doctrines, and at that time the temple had hundreds of monks. In its history the temple has suffered from serious damages. Today part of it has been repaired, including the temple's gate with the two gate-generals Heng and Ha, the Shrine of Sakyamuni Buddha, the rear hall, and the Belfry. The "Wood-Carrying Well" is a special attraction of the temple. There is a large piece of wood floating on the surface of the water in the well. It was allegedly left by Master Ji when he used his superhuman power to carry wood through the well to build the temple.
The Nanping Bell at Dusk is an attraction associated with the Jingci Temple where a belfry was set up when the temple was first built. In the 11th year of Hongwu of Ming Dynasty, the bell was considered too small and thus a huge bell of 10 tons was cast. Because of the bell's resonant sound and the numerous hollow caves of the Nanping Hill behind the temple, when the bell rings at dusk, the sound reverberates in the valley and can be heard in Hangzhou, hence the attraction of "Nanping Bell at Dusk". From the Song Dynasty to Qing Dynasty, the temple was abandoned and recovered many times, with the original bell damaged and lost. Today's bronze Dafan Bell, with a weight of 10 tons and a height of 3 meters, was cast in December 1986 by the Hangzhou Oxygen Generator Factory. There is an epigraph of the Scripture of Wisdom Lotus, in the handwriting of zhao Puchu and others, it has about 68,000 Chinese characters. The Caodong Sect Buddhists in Japan come to ring the bell on the New Year's Eve, to bid farewell to the past year and to welcome the New Year.
The Nanping Bell at Dusk echoes with the Leifeng Pagoda in Afterglow in a distance, the pagoda silhouette and the ringing of the bell constitute the most charming evening scenes of the Ten Scenes of the West Lake.

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