Showing 1-12 of 12 results
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Anyuan Temple
Anyuan Temple is a copy of the Gurza Temple in Xīnjiāng. Only the main hall remains, which contains deteriorating Buddhist frescoes.
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Bìshǔ Shānzhuāng
Bìshǔ Shānzhuāng The Qing emperors lived, worked and played in this summer resort, composed of a main palace complex and enormous park-like gardens, all of which is enclosed by a 10km-long wall.
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Club Rock & Toad Rock
It's a 30-minute walk to Club Rock (棒槌峰; Bàngchuí Fēng) from Pule Temple - the rock is said to resemble a club used for beating laundry dry. Nearby is Toad Rock (蛤蟆峰; Hámá Shí). There is pleasant hiking, good scenery and commanding views of the area. You can save yourself a steep climb to the base of Club Rock and Toad Rock by taking the chairlift, but it's more fun to walk if you're reasonably fit. Take us 10 to Pule Temple.
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Guandi Temple
Requisitioned years ago by the local government to house generations of Chéngdé residents, the restored Guandi Temple, west of the main gate, is a welcome addition to Chéngdé's temple population. Also called the Wumiao, the Guandi Temple is a Taoist temple dedicated to Guān Yǔ, first built during the reign of Yongzheng, in 1732.
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Misty Rain Tower
The double-storey Misty Rain Tower is on the northwestern side of the main lake and was an imperial study.
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Pule Temple
The peaceful Pule Temple was built in 1776 for the visits of minority envoys (Kazakhs among them). At the rear of the temple is the unusual Round Pavilion, reminiscent of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests at Běijīng's Temple of Heaven . Inside is an enormous wooden mandala (a geometric representation of the universe).
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Puning Temple
Chéngdé's only active temple, Puning Temple was built in 1755 in anticipation of Qianlong's victory over the western Mongol tribes in Xīnjiāng. It was supposed to be modelled on the earliest Tibetan Buddhist monastery (Samye), although the first half of the temple is distinctly Chinese; the Tibetan buildings are at the rear.
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Puren Temple
Puren Temple, built in 1713, is the earliest temple in Chéngdé, but is not open to the public.
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Putuozongcheng Temple
The largest of the Chéngdé temples, Putuozongcheng Temple is a minifacsimile of Lhasa's Potala Palace and houses the nebulous presence of Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin). The temple is a marvellous sight on a clear day, its red walls standing out against its mountain backdrop. Enter to a huge stele pavilion, followed by a large triple archway topped with five small stupas in red, green, yellow, white and black.
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Shuxiang Temple
Surrounded by a low red wall, Shuxiang Temple appears closed. You can try your luck, or at least look at the pair of huge stone lions sitting outside. Just to the west of Shuxiang Temple is a military-sensitive zone where foreigners are not allowed access, so don't go wandering around.
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Temple of Sumeru, Happiness and Longevity
The Temple of Sumeru, Happiness and Longevity is another of Chéngdé's huge temples. It was built in honour of the sixth Panchen Lama, who stayed here in 1781, and it incorporates elements of Tibetan and Chinese architecture, being an imitation of a temple in Shigatse, Tibet. Note the eight huge, glinting dragons (each said to weigh over 1000kg) that adorn the roof of the main hall.
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Wenjin Pavilion
The Wenjin Pavilion was built in 1773 to house a copy of the Siku Quanshu, a major anthology of classics, history, philosophy and literature commissioned by Qianlong. The anthology took 10 years to put together, and totalled an astounding 36,500 chapters. Four copies were made, only one of which has survived (now in Běijīng).
Showing 1-12 of 12 results
