Yong He Gong and Confucian Temples

Yesterday was our last day before we leave for our midterm trip to Xi'an, so we wanted to get in some sight-seeing before we left. We chose to explore an area of Beijing that was known for these two Temples as well as the nearby hutong, a traditional Chinese neighborhoods with narrow streets. These neighborhoods are commonly associated with Beijing and were dying out before they began to be protected to preserve the culture.
most important Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in the world.

As soon as we entered the temple grounds, the smell of incense was overwhelming. Many visitors burned incense at alters outside of each structure in reverence to Buddha.

The Hall of Harmony and Peace houses three bronze Buddhas representing past, present and future.
The temples were incredibly beautiful . Yong He Gong Temple, known as "Palace of Peace and Harmony Lama Temple" is one of the largest and esent, and future (pictured above from right to left). The Pavilion of Ten Thousand Happinesses is home to a 26 meter (that's roughly 85 ft) statue of the Maitreya Buddha carved from a single trunk of a White Sandalwood tree. It was quite stunning. I snuck a picture of it even though we weren't supposed to "burn incense or film in the temples."

We grabbed a quick lunch in the nearby hutong, one of Beijing's famous vegetarian restaurants--famous for creating dishes that taste deceivingly like real meat. The jury's still out on whether the chicken we ordered was, in fact, real chicken.

Then it was on to the Confucian Temple. It's the second largest in China after the temple in Confucius' hometown. As you enter the temple on either side of the Confucius statue (pictured left) were 198 stone tablets inscribed with the names of over 51,624 jinshi, or advanced Confucian scholars. On some, you could barely decipher any of the Chinese characters.

During the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, people would visit the temples to pay homage to Confucius, and now the grounds remain open so that visitors may continue to memorialize Confucius. It's part temple, part museum, with many of the halls being used to display exhibits on Confucius' life.

On a cloudless day like the day we visited, the sunlight illuminates the intricate gold details on the exterior of each hall. There was a warm breeze that carried the faint smell of incense throughout the grounds. Such sacred places demanded noticeably different decorum than that which is acceptable outside the walls of the temple in the busy city. Many people were performing rituals: lighting incense and bowing down at altars. I almost felt like an intruder. I tried my best to be respectful while still taking in the beauty of it all.

At Yong He Gong, there was a metal urn-like object near the entrance of the temple. Though the sign explicitly said "Do not throw incense or coins," the area surrounding the urn was littered with both coins and bills. (We assumed that this will bring us some sort of good luck). Sara and I decided that we must try this for ourselves. Sara goes first, makes contact with the urn, causing a slight "ding" and the coin rolls to a stop inside the fence. I go--that's me mid-throw on the left--and instead of going anywhere near the urn, the coin went straight up in the air. How. Typical. Also, it was quite embarrassing. Here's hoping that I won't be fending off bad luck for the next seven years.