Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Don't Miss
Puning Temple
With its squeaking prayer wheels and the devotional intonations of its monks,
Chengde's only active temple was built in 1755 in anticipation of Qianlong's victory
over the western Mongol tribes in Xinjiang.
Enter the temple grounds to a stelae pavilion with inscriptions by the Qianlong
emperor in Chinese, Manchu, Mongol and Tibetan. The halls behind are arranged in
typical Buddhist fashion, with the
Hall of Heavenly Kings
( Tianwang Dian) and
beyond, the
Mahavira Hall
( Daxiong Baodian), where three images of the Buddhas
of the three generations are arrayed. Some very steep steps rise up behind (the
temple is arranged on a mountainside) leading to a gate tower, which you can climb.
The mindbogglingly vast gilded statue of
Guanyin
(the Buddhist Goddess of
Mercy) towers within the
Mahayana Hall
. The effigy is astounding: over 22m high,
it's the tallest of its kind in the world and radiates a powerful sense of divinity. Hewn
from five different kinds of wood (pine, cypress, fir, elm and linden), Guanyin has 42
arms, with each palm bearing an eye and each hand holding instruments, skulls, lo-
tuses and other Buddhist devices.
If you're fortunate, you may be able to clamber up to the first gallery (¥10) for a
closer inspection of Guanyin; torches are provided to cut through the gloom.
The ticket price includes admission to the Puyou Temple. Take bus 6 from in front
of the Mountain Villa Hotel.
NEED TO KNOW
Puning Si; Puningsi Lu; admission ¥80 April-Oct, ¥60 Nov-Mar;
8am-6pm April-Oct, 8.30am-5pm Nov-Mar
Tours
Before renovation work began on the Simatai section of the wall, youth hostels
in Beijing used to run highly recommended early-morning trips by minibus (ex-
cluding/including ticket ¥180/260) to Jinshanling for the four-hour hike to
Simatai. Buses usually left at around 6am or 7am.
Beijing Downtown Backpackers
( 8400 2429;
www.backpackingchina.com
; 85 Nanluogu Xiang; 85 Beixinqiao;)
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