At the base of Mount Taibai, the 20 buildings of Tiantong Temple (Tiāntóng Sì, 天童寺) sprawl out between forested hills some 25 km (16 mi) east of Ningbo proper. The buildings, containing 730 rooms, are all connected to one another, giving visitors shelter from the sun and rain.

Around 300 A.D., the monk Yixing sought to build a temple and, according to legend, the Heavenly King sent the god Taibai to earth to be reborn as a child to help him, giving the temple its name, which means "heavenly child."

Later, the temple figured in to Chan (Zen) Buddhist history when Japanese monk Dogen Zenji arrived in the early 13th century. Having left his studies in Japan disillusioned, Dogen continued seeking enlightenment from monasteries throughout Zhejiang province until meeting Caodong Chan Master Rujing who taught him to "cast off body and mind." Upon returning to Japan, Dogen founded the Soto school of Chan.

In 1587, during the Ming Dynasty, the temple was destroyed by a flood and rebuilt.

Along with King Asoka Temple, Seven Pagoda Temple and Guangzhong Temple, it is considered one of the four most famous Buddhist temples in east Zhejiang.

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