The Calm Before the Storm

I forgot to mention on Monday that I was able to have dinner with one of my dad's business friends, Cliff, his wife, two sons, their daughter, and two other friends of the family. Cliff's wife is Chinese which is why they have a home here - they spend half their time here and half in my part of the world near San Francisco. Their apartment is in a really nice area of buildings mostly owned by foreigners near the embassy area, and had a great view of the Beijing skyline (as well as the pollution that dominates it!). It was nice to take a break from the large group and talk with some people who know Beijing quite well. Now I have a guide for Beijing nightlife, which I haven't availed myself of yet, but hopefully will sometime soon. 

Last Wednesday we took advantage of our day off and the sunshine and headed to Behai Park rather near the Forbidden City. It is dominated by a white dagoba on an island in the middle of the lake there. It was originally built for a visit by the Dalai Lama in 1651, and was rebuilt ninety years later. There are small temples off the pathway surrounding the lake that provided nice breaks during leisurely walk. At one my friends and I got our photos taken in Chinese imperial clothing - unfortunately you will have to wait to see that one because I don't have access to a scanner here! We also took a ride around the lake in a small power boat - we didn't have much control over the games of bumper boats though that were inevitable! We did get ourselves up to the top of the hill with the dagoba for some amazing views. Check out my photo page for those and more...

Thursday we headed off to the Lama and Confucius Temples which are in arms length of one another. The Lama Temple was our first stop and was quite awe inspiring - we actually saw a Buddhist nun and quite a few people worshipping the different incarnations of the Buddha. Furthermore one of the sights there is an 18 meter high statue of the future Buddha, Maitreya, supposedly carved from a single block of sandlewood - when you see it person though it is very hard to believe it! The temple is dedicated to the Yellow Hat Sect, or the Tibetan School of Buddhism and therefore was was brightly decorated in its namesake color. 

Across and down the opposite street is the Confucius Temple and Imperial College. It is the second largest Confucian temple in the country and is quite serene. The combination of the artistically crawling cypress trees and various small temples make you understand why it was once considered such a place of contemplation. There is actually a large temple where Confucius can still be worshipped - something I was surprised at since my understanding is that his teachings are less about religion and more about social order. According to Wikipedia there is still a debate about this issue because it is indeed practiced by the Chinese as a religion. 

Next door to the temple is the Imperial College which taught Confucian principles during three dynasties. The entrance is framed by a glazed archway to reveal a beautifully situated hall surrounded by a moat where the emperor would lecture on this topic to thousands (according to LP) of students from all walks of life. 

By walking through all these temples that day I can understand how one becomes calm because of the religious serenity they embody. As we get closer and closer to the Olympics, our schedules are getting more hectic and less predictable, so it was nice to be in these quiet, calm places before the rush of the events begin. 

The Propaganda Tour is coming up next, so don't leave your seats...