China > Rainy Temple of Heaven

China - The Temple of Heaven in the rain

I pull the curtains open. I see people walking with umbrellas. It’s raining. Judging by the dull gray sky, it doesn’t look like it will clear up anytime soon. With umbrella and raincoat, I set out. Beijing immediately has a gloomy feel. Large puddles lie in the streets. I have to watch out not to be splashed by passing cars. On my way to the Temple of Heaven, I have breakfast in a small local restaurant. Using gestures and above all my Point-it booklet, I order a meal. I get a dumpling, a kind of porridge, and an iced tea. The porridge doesn’t really suit my taste, but the rest is enough for breakfast.

China - An image of a Chinese dragon in the temple

At least I’m dry for a while. At the park of the Temple of Heaven, I buy a ticket that also includes entry to the temples. Normally, Chinese people exercise and dance here regularly. With today’s rainy weather, there is little activity to be seen. The damp air hangs low like mist among the trees. I arrive at the raised road. In the past, the emperor walked over this hundreds-of-meters-long marble causeway from the sacred altar to the temple on the other side. Now, all I see are colorful umbrellas. I first visit the Imperial Vault of Heaven temple. This temple is surrounded by a circular echo wall. Just behind it lies the Circular Mound Altar. The altar consists of three marble tiers. Around the central stone at the top are exactly nine stones. Each following row has exactly nine more. There are nine rows on the platform. Nine is a sacred number. I walk across the raised walkway to the Temple of Heaven. The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is a three-tiered temple. In the rain, the temple looks somewhat somber. It was built entirely without the use of nails. I leave and take the metro to the Lama Temple. Beijing has a good metro system. Fortunately, the metro stations are marked both in Chinese and English. That makes it easy for me to get around. Only when leaving the station, my pass won’t let me check out. A boy behind me explains that I have a single-use ticket and need to insert it into the machine. That works better.

China - The Tibetan Lama Temple in Beijing

The Lama Temple is the largest Buddhist temple in Beijing. The complex consists of various temples and reception halls. In the different halls stand large Buddha statues of the past, present, and future. One Buddha statue is 28 meters high. The information board next to it states that it is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest statue carved from a single piece. When I leave the Lama Temple complex, the rain has stopped. I put away my umbrella and take off my raincoat. I cross the street and enter the Confucius Temple. This is the second largest Confucius temple in China, built in 1302. Imperial mandarins came here to pay their respects to Confucius. The architectural style doesn’t differ much from the Lama Temple. Only, Confucius knew no gods. That’s why there are no deities or Buddha statues here. In the middle of the temple stands a throne surrounded by musical instruments. By now, I’ve seen enough temples for today. I’m ready for something different. I walk into the narrow lanes of the hutongs behind the Forbidden City. Unfortunately, this district has become commercialized. The street consists only of eateries, bars, and youth hostels. In one of them, I order a sandwich. Via the Drum Tower and the Bell Tower, two old towers from the Ming dynasty, I arrive at another metro station.

China - The Confucius Temple is the second largest Confucius temple in China

With one transfer, I return to the area near my hotel. I walk the last stretch. In the evening, I attend an acrobatics show. As I approach, I already see numerous buses parked outside. A real tourist show. Inside, the audience consists mostly of tour groups. The majority are Chinese tourists visiting the capital. The performance is impressive, though it doesn’t compare to the show in Dunhuang. The show ends with a motorcyclist inside a giant steel globe. I estimate its diameter at ten meters. When a second motorcyclist appears, the tension in the hall rises. Then a third, fourth, and even fifth rider enter the globe to ride around simultaneously. A wave of disbelief sweeps through the audience. Magnificent!