The group was down to nine pax today. We did the Lama
Temple, Yue Show Market (flea markets), lunch, Hutongs via rickshaw ride (Jane
was my buddy), and Beihai Park.
The Yonghe Temple ("Palace of Peace and
Harmony"), also known as the Yonghe Lamasery, or popularly as
the Lama Temple, is a temple and monastery of the Gelug school
of Tibetan Buddhism. The building and artwork of the temple is a
combination of Han Chinese and Tibetan styles. The Yonghe
Temple is arranged along a north–south central axis, which has a length of
480m. The main gate is at the southern end of this axis. Along the axis, there
are five main halls which are separated by courtyards: the Gate Hall of
Harmony and Peace (Yonghemendian), the Hall of Harmony and
Peace (Yonghegong), the Hall of Everlasting
Protection (Yongyoudian), the Hall of the Wheel of the
Law (Falundian), and the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Happinesses (Wanfuge).
Entrance to Lama Temple
Temple grounds
Inside the Temple
Yongyoudian - Hall of Eternal Blessing
Buddhas
26m high, carved from a single white sandalwood tree
Hutong are
a type of narrow street or alley commonly associated with northern Chinese
cities, especially Beijing. In Beijing, hutongs are alleys formed by lines
of siheyuan, traditional courtyard residences. Many
neighbourhoods were formed by joining one siheyuan to another to form
a hutong, and then joining one hutong to another. The word hutong is also used
to refer to such neighbourhoods. Since the mid-20th century, many Beijing
hutongs were demolished to make way for new roads and buildings. More recently,
however, many hutongs have been designated as protected, in an attempt to
preserve this aspect of Chinese cultural history.
Jane & Wendy
Bar in the Hutongs
Sycee Bridge
Hutong waterways
Beihai Park, also known as the Winter Palace, is a public park and former
imperial garden located in the northwestern part of the Imperial City,
Beijing. First built in the 11th century, it is among the largest of all Chinese
gardens and contains numerous historically important structures, palaces,
and temples. The park has an area of more than 69 hectares, with a lake that
covers more than half of the entire park. At the center of the park is an
island called Jade Flower Island, whose highest point is 32m. Beihai literally
means "Northern Sea". The Beihai Park, as with many of Chinese
imperial gardens, was built to imitate renowned scenic spots and architecture
from various regions of China.
Beihai Park
The ceiling of one of the park shelters
Guido, Magda, Annie, Edgar, Susan, Richard and Steven (our guide)
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