Across the street from the Forbidden City is Jingshan Park, also known as Suicide Hill (the last Ming emperor killed himself here in 1644). It was originally an imperial garden. 
Many steps lead up to the top of the hill; there are pavilions along the way. This man seemed to be doing some sort of exercises that involved his ears...
A Buddha atop the hill.
The Forbidden City viewed from the top of the hill.
You could dress up as an emperor or empress or other imperial official. We did not partake...
Then we went to the Lama Temple, a Tibetan Buddhist temple and monastery. So beautiful.
It has a Maitreya Buddha (Buddha of the Future) that is in the Guinness Book of World records because it is carved from a single white pine--and it is 85 feet high. (No photographs allowed of the Buddhas.)
Some Buddhist monks (or nuns?). They were enjoying a corn-on-the-cob snack.
Incense braziers outside each hall of the temple.
A prayer wheel.
Remember the golden roof in my previous post? Remember that golden roofs are reserved for imperial buildings? Why are there golden roofs here? It's because this used to be an imperial complex until sometime in the 18th century. More roof gods above...
Really lovely and peaceful...and (relatively) uncrowded. The end of Day Seven!
1 comment:
Those trees at the end just don't seem to go with all the other posts. Everything has seemed so busy and crowded, and then this piece of bliss?
These are so great Sherri. Thank you for taking me to China with you!
aented
I aented the cutest little apartment!
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