Yakcheonsa Temple

This guide to Yakcheonsa Temple in Jeju follows a monk named Hyein, who set out in 1981 to build the largest Buddhist prayer hall in Asia, an eight-year construction finished in 1996. It traces the temple's rise alongside its templestay program, where overnight guests kneel for pre-dawn bows they can barely keep pace with, and takes in the tea ceremonies, hanji lantern-folding, and a springtime singing contest for elderly villagers. Listen for the eighteen-ton bronze bell that calls guests back inside at dawn.