Temple and tower

After class today we went sightseeing. First we went to the Gui Main Meditation Temple 归元禅寺, and then the very famous Yellow Crane Tower 黄鹤楼.

It was the first time I’d been to a Buddhist temple complex for a long time. I have been to many in different parts of China, and my favourite were in the Tibetan region of western Gansu province in 1998. Today’s complex was well maintained, and staff were very vigilant about not allowing photos inside the pavillions. Given that tomorrow is the mid-Autumn festival, there were many people paying their respects to ancestors and loved ones. It was nice to see genuine practice of faith, and the rooms and pavilions were packed with all kinds of artefacts from the 400+ years of the temple’s history. The gardens were beautiful and, and we spent some time at the friendly little shops outside selling paper money for people to burn at the temple, along with a whole range of different statues and fans and swords and trinkets.

Series of Buddhist prayer cushions:

The ‘crane’ in the Yellow Crane Tower is a bird, not a machine. It is an incredibly beautiful and contemplative sanctuary in the midst of an otherwise frantic city. It is also about 400 years old, and is a well-maintained series of pavillions and gardens that lead up to the majestic tower perched atop the hill. Walking up the seven stories, there are many interesting art and historical displays that reference the significance of the tower and its gardens as a place for poets and artists to work in solitude. It’s not hard to imagine the tranquility of the place hundreds of years ago, however it really contrasts with the surrounding housing and the neverending horizon of skyscrapers in every direction.