When I travel abroad I'm always interested to see different places of worship as they can be quite peaceful and beautiful. I remember briefly visiting Yonghe seven years ago but not having much time to explore as we arrived near to closing time, so as my mum is a Buddhist I thought it would be an interesting place to take her so she could see what a temple in China is like compared to the ones we visit in Thailand.
The temple was extremely busy on the day we visited, there were cars lining up down the road waiting to get in and the halls of worship were so full of people it was a struggle to get through. I like to visit temples as an escape so I can meditate and enjoy a little peace but it was pretty much impossible to find any sort of peace at The Lama Temple that day, the smell of incense smoke, which I normally find calming, was so strong that day it was choking.
One of the things you must see is the 26 meter tall Maitreya Buddha which is not only impressive because of its huge size but because of the fact it was carved from a single piece of Tibetan white sandalwood, and because of its vast size it took over three years to ship to Beijing. It's one of the temples most prize possessions and once you see it you'll know exactly why, it's an absolutely beautiful sight and it's amazing to think of all the hard work and love that was put into creating it.
Despite the crowds it was a really beautiful day and definitely a place I would recommend you visit if you're in Beijing, the area surrounding the temple is great to visit to as there are many souvenir shops and restaurants as well as a Confucius Temple which I would love to visit if I ever go back to Beijing.
What places do you like to visit when you travel abroad?
Love & Incense
Cate
xoxo
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