Beijing's Lama and Confucius Temples

Picture of bowing man.
Beijing's Yong He Lama Temple (雍和宫) is constantly beckoning. We live a short bike ride from it, and it's visible from our apartment's balcony. Whenever we have guests, we take them to the Lama Temple. They're never disappointed.

The compound has over 300 years of history, with many prayer halls and works of art to enjoy. The highlight of the Temple is the giant Buddha statue, carved from a single piece of sandalwood.

Picture of garden.

Before entering the temple, you get to walk down this long garden path.

Picture of worsippers.

Worshippers at the main entrance to the Lama Temple.

Picture of sign.

The signs are written in four languages: Manchu, Tibetan, Chinese and Mongolian.

Picture of people.

Incense burning.

Picture of buildings.

The Lama Temple has many buildings with cool rooftop designs.

Picture of girl.

A girl throws incense into a censer.

Picture of door.

Another of the temple's many buildings.

Picture of a god.

Many gods are represented at the Lama Temple.

Picture of wheel.

A Tibetan prayer wheel.

Picture of Katie.

Katie admires the overlapping roofs.

Picture of Bhudda.

An 18-meter Buddha, carved from a single piece of Sandalwood.

Across the road from the Lama Temple is the Confucius Temple (孔庙). It's is older than the Lama Temple, and it's not quite as touristy. I've only visited once, with my mom and Katie. We got lucky when we were treated to a lovely dance performance, and we got to see kids working on their calligraphy skills.

Picture of Confucius.

Confucius say: When called an idiot, better to be quiet than open mouth and remove all doubt.

Picture of hall.

Inside the main hall.

Picture of dance.

A live dance performance.

Picture of calligraphy.

Kids practicing their calligraphy.

If you come to Beijing, you should add a visit to the Lama and Confucius Temples to your itinerary. You'll only need a couple hours to see both, so they're well-worth a visit.

You can see more of my photos from the temples here, here and here.

Share with your friends










Submit
More share buttons