Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
sometimes called the
Chinese mulberry
), after which the temple is named, “reinforce the
essence of the kidney and control spontaneous seminal emission”. Or so a sign here says.
Jietai Temple
戒台寺
, jiètái sì • Daily 8am-5pm •
￥
45 (
￥
85 combined ticket with Tanzhe Temple)
Sitting on a hillside 12km east of Tanzhe,
Jietai Temple
looks more like a fortress than a
temple, surrounded as it is by forbiddingly tall, red walls. First constructed during the Sui
dynasty (581-600), it's an extremely atmospheric, quiet place, made slightly spooky by its
dramatically shaped pines - eccentric-looking venerable trees growing in odd directions.
Indeed one, leaning out at an angle of about thirty degrees, is pushing over a pagoda on the
terrace beneath it.
In the main hall is an enormous tenth-century platform of white marble at which novice
monks were ordained. At 3m high, it's intricately carved with figures - monks, monsters
(beaked and winged) and saints. The chairs on top are for the three masters and seven wit-
nesses who oversaw ordinations. Another, smaller, side hall holds a beautiful wooden altar
that swarms with dragon reliefs.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: TANZHE TEMPLE AND JIETAI TEMPLE
Bypublictransport
Ride the subway line 1 all the way to its western terminus at Pingguoy-
uan, then catch bus #931 (
￥
3; this bus has two routes, so make sure the driver knows where
you're going) to Tanzhe Temple; it stops at Jietai too, but this is more easily visited on the
return journey. If you don't fancy waiting for a bus, taxis between the two temples will cost
around
￥
35.
Bytaxi
You can save yourself some hassle by hiring a taxi to visit both temples, which should
cost around
￥
400 if you start from the city centre.
Shidu
十渡
, shídù • Bus #917 from
Tianqiaole Theatre
(2hr 30min)
The “wilderness area” of
Shidu
(“Ten Bends”), around 90km southwest of the city, is
Beijing's equivalent to Guilin; as with southern China's prime tourist trap, the landscape here
resembles a classical Chinese painting, with the Juma River twisting between steep karst
peaks. As at
Longqing Gorge
,
you can go horseriding, boating, fishing and rock climbing
- all of which cost
￥
150-200, can be organized on your arrival, and are aimed at novices.
There's even a bungee jump (
￥
150). But perhaps it's most rewarding simply as a place to
hike
- pick up a map at the entrance and set off. Though it can get crowded, few visitors
seem to get much further than the restaurants that line the only road, so the experience rather
improves the further into the resort you go.
