Last saturday, returning from the High-Tech Expo I accidentially discovered the Beijing Dongyue Temple (北京东岳庙, Eastern Peak Temple), which is located just one kilometer straight north of Ritan Park. After having had a lunch in my apartment I came back by bike later that afternoon. Paying the entrance fee of ¥10 I realized that the temple would be closed for the public in less than two hours at 4:30 p.m. Still enough time to stroll around in one of the most magnificent scenic spots of urban Beijing.
Click images to enlarge!
The three courtyards of the Zhengyi Taoist temple cover an area of almost 50,000 square meters with nearly 400 rooms and next to 150 remarkable stone tablets dating from different Chinese dynasties; the temple being founded already in 1319.
Most impressing are the „department“ rooms; there are maybe 100 of them, each representing an aspect of the Taoist world order with life-size statues symbolizing the virtues and failures of mankind and the respective rewards or punishments by heavenly forces. Some shrines are garded by taoist monks who strongly dislike being taken photo of.
Parts of the temple today host the Beijing Folk Customs Museum. Most of the exihibits are shown in glass cabinets, some old carriages and stone mills are displayed in the courtyard. There are ceramics and textile works of different kind, all representing typical folk art and customs of ancient Beijing.
What I enjoyed the most is the quietness. Even on a saturday afternoon there were few vistors. When I arrived some thirty pupils lined up for a group photography and then left. So after visiting the exhibits of the museum I sat down on a bench and took out my sketching pad to draw the scenery while one of the monks stepped outside into the sunshine and play a beautiful melody on the flute.
More information about the Bejing Dongyue Temple in Wikipedia
Some information about the Beijing Folklore Museum
All photos are displayed in the gallery below
