The Lingyin Temple near Hangzhou is said to be one of the largest and wealthiest Buddhist temples in China. It is belongs to the Zen sect of Mahayana Buddhism, known in Chinese as Chan.

At the temple's complex are a number of Buddhist niches and grottoes, which are usually separately referred to as the Temple of Soul's Retreat.

Among its features is also a large hall with 500 life-sized statues of the Five Hundred Arahats, similar to those in the Three Pagoda Temple in Dali (fig.).