Before Mao's abortive attempts to expunge all semblence of religious belief from its citizens, China was a country of traditional Eastern beliefs such as Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. The country still has a number of temples devoted to such beliefs, and on Friday I went to visit two of them: the Yonghegong, or Lama Temple, Beijing's foremost Buddhist temple; and the Tiantan, or Temple of Heaven, a unique Confucian altar and the centrepiece of one of Beijing's most popular parks.
I arrived at the Yonghegong by subway at about noon, and initially thought I was in the wrong place. I found the temple after a few minutes' walk, but I still can't quite fathom how such a beautiful temple has been plonked in (or, more accurately, surrounded by) the middle of Beijing: it is a wonderfully idyllic place in the middle of complete mayhem. It would be as incongruous as putting Westminster Abbey in among the tower blocks and alleyways of East London.
It was built as the residence of one of the emperors-to-be, but was converted into a lamasery (a temple used by lamas) in 1744. As a result, the traditional imperial Chinese architecture has been modified to fit the new purpose, with walls being decorated with Tibetan script and many statues of Buddhas being installed for worship.
The five halls are beautiful, and the Buddhas inside are masterpieces of sculpture. The rearmost hall contains a 26-metre high statue of Buddha (of which eight metres are underground), carved from a single piece of white sandalwood: this appears in the Guinness Book of World Records - quite rightly, given just how staggeringly huge it is.
There are also two rooms housing smaller statues and other artefacts recovered over the years: there are some ancient bronze sculptures dating back over 3000 years, as well as a huge variety of costumes and ornaments.
The temple remains a working temple, with many people kneeling in prayer to the Buddhas, and offering incense to be burnt. I felt a little like I was intruding into a solemn place of worship, and while its beauty is undoubtedly something to behold I can't help but wonder if it might be better for the temple to go back to being just that. I suppose the answer is that without the tourists they would have no money to spend on upkeep.
By contrast, the Temple of Heaven, which is a short subway ride away, stands proud in the middle of nearly one square mile of parkland in central Beijing. It consists of three altars in a line from south to north: the first, the Round Altar, is nothing more than a circular mound (albeit made of marble); the second, the Imperial Vault of Heaven, is a small octagonal building; and the third, the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, is the familiar huge circular triple-roofed structure that forms the centrepiece of the park. The park is popular with Beijingers wanting to rest in the sun, and the temples are no longer used for any religious purpose since the deposition of the imperial class in 1911.
The main Hall is a unique structure, quite unlike anything else in the world. The original 1420 structure burned down in 1889 after apparently being struck by lightning. It was rebuilt in a manner completely faithful to the original, save that the new timber was sourced from Oregon, as no wood remained in China that was strong enough to support the roof, which was built (and rebuilt) without nails or cement - quite an achievement for a building 38m high and 30m in diameter.
The building is supported by a number of pillars, and the roof is covered in beautiful blue-purple tiles. The whole thing sits upon a three-tiered marble terrace affording excellent views over Beijing on a clear day.
The walk from the Hall south to the other two altars is beautiful, as are both the altars in question. The Imperial Vault of Heaven is surrounded by a so-called Echo Wall, meaning that if you stand in a certain place and clap you should hear three echoes. It didn't work for me, but that was probably due to the hordes of tourists in the way. The Round Altar is a beautifully serene place, feeling quite isolated from the rest of the park.
All in all the park and the temples are the perfect antidote to busy, bustling Beijing, and I can quite understand why so many people frequented the park. The weather was good, too: cloudy at first but it brightened later on, with temperatures peaking at a much more manageable 26C and making it easily the most pleasant day of the week, and certainly one of the most enjoyable.
For dinner, we headed to a Mexican restaurant in Sanlitur, the main ex-pat district, and watched Serbia beat Germany on the big screen, before heading home for an early night - I have an early start on Sunday to fly to Tokyo, so I wanted to get used to getting up early, ready for my last day in Beijing.
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