Temple Tipple
Don’t know why I seem to be doing a daily update, how sad. So anyway here goes.
Slow start to today, couldn’t really get going. Had to go to the bank today to change a traveller’s cheque. That took longer than I thought… I was No. 120!
If you’ve ever workied in a supermarket or something similar where out back there is the freezer rooms with clear plastic strips hanging from above the doors to keep the heat in and the cold out. Well, it’s so cold here (although I heard that it’s not as cold as normal!) they have these plastic strips above all the doors to public buildings here… yawn yawn, well – I thought it was quite interesting.
Got back to the hostel and rented a bike. Went off to two temples. The Taoist (pronounced Doaist) temple Dongyue Si and the Buddhist Temple Dazhong Si.
I have been told that on the year of your Chinese astrological sign (the year just passed was the Rooster – my year) you should visit the temple on the first day, so I decided to go on the last day to say goodbye to the Rooster. Better late than never.
Really nice old, traditional building of the Taoist Temple . This is hightened by it’s position in the middle of a hundrerd sky-scapers. Amazing.
The Buddhist Temple is supposed to have the biggest bell in China. I didn’t see it, although I am not entirely sure it was the right temple anyway. I caugtht a family mid-session with the monks doing some chanting in the presence of a huge golden buddha. I had a moment there. I have always thought the classic Buddha statue was a bit strange especially the expression on his face. But this time it took me… He was untouchable in his peace – nothing could take his serenity. Centred and present… one day, one day.
It was Spring Festival/ Chinese New Year’s Eve/ New Lunar Year’s Eve today. It was a bit like Christmas Eve – everyone busy getting the last minute bits and pieces for the big night. Everyone had a red bag in one hand and a box of fruit in the other. It was a bit strange to be in the middle of it all like being on your own fro Christmas. There’s nothing wrong with that if you know what happens at Christmas. Pei-jen warned me that it would be a bit strange… so on the way home I decided to buy soem things to try to get with it. In the hutongs (Mongolian word for lanes where the poorer Beijingers lived in the olden days) where the hostel is I bought some roasted chestnuts, some fruit, some chewy Chinese sesame sweets and some hard pastry twist things. It was nice actually.
This was the first year after a 12 year ban that fireworks were let back into Beijing. It was all firecrackers and they were everywhere. The story goes that the demon of desease comes out on the night before the new year starts to run riot and all the noise of the crackers scares him away. Before fire crackers they burnt bamboo which would pop and bang when the air in the different segment s would burst free.
Fire crackers all night!
Tags: Beijing bling, Spring Festival
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