Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Muxidi)
Behind the riveting good looks of the Capital Museum are some first-rate galler-
ies, including a mesmerising collection of ancient Buddhist statues and a lavish exhibition
of Chinese porcelain. There is also an interesting chronological history of Běijīng, an ex-
hibition that is dedicated to cultural relics of Peking opera, a fascinating Běijīng Folk Cus-
toms exhibition, and displays of ancient bronzes, jade, calligraphy and paintings. Bring
your passport for free entry.
WHITE CLOUD TEMPLE
( Báiyún Guàn; 6346 3887; 9 Baiyunguan Jie; adult ¥10; 8.30am-4.30pm; Muxidi)
White Cloud
Temple, once the Taoist centre of northern China, was founded in AD 739, although most
of the temple halls date from the Qing dynasty. It's a lively, huge and fascinating complex
of shrines and courtyards, tended by Taoist monks with their hair gathered into topknots.
|TAOIST TEMPLE
Near the temple entrance, worshippers rub a polished stone carving for good fortune.
The halls at the temple, centre of operations for the Taoist Quanzhen School and abode of
the China Taoist Association, are dedicated to a host of Taoist officials and marshals. The
Hall of the Jade Emperor
celebrates this most famous of Taoist deities, while Taoist
housewives cluster earnestly at the
Hall to the God of Wealth
to divine their financial fu-
ture. Depictions of the Taoist Hell festoon the walls of the
Shrine Hall for the Saviour
Worthy
.
Drop by White Cloud Temple during the Spring Festival and you will be rewarded with
the spectacle of a magnificent temple fair
(miàohuì)
. Worshippers funnel into the streets
around the temple in their thousands, lured by artisans, street performers,
wǔshù
(martial
arts) acts, craft workers, traders and a swarm of snack merchants.
To find the temple, walk south on Baiyun Lu, turn left into Baiyungguan Jie and it's
about 50m up on the left.
XĪBIÀNMÉN WATCHTOWER
( Xībiànmén Jiǎolóu; Changchunjie)
The counterpart of the Southeast Corner Watchtower, the
Xibianmen Watchtower is not as impressive as its robust and better-known sibling, but
you can climb up onto a section of the old city wall amid the roaring traffic.
|WATCHTOWER
SOUTH CATHEDRAL
( Nántáng; 141 Qianmen Xidajie; Mass in Latin 6am Sun-Fri, in English 10am Sun; Xuanwumen)
Běijīng's
South Cathedral was built on the site of the house of Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci, who
brought Catholicism to China. Since being completed in 1703, the church has been des-
|CHURCH
