The Lama Temple

    
       Beijing has to be one of the world's most stressful cities. Its sheer size can be overwhelming, while the volume of people and traffic defies belief. Crossing one of the city’s immense avenues amounts to taking a leap of faith: you need to look in about eight different directions, and there’s a fair chance the drivers won’t stop when the light turns red. Taking the subway, while preferable to a taxi ride, can involve a no-holds barred battle to get on and off the train. Shoving your way past old women appears to be perfectly acceptable behaviour.

       In light of the above, first-timers may well feel there is no escape from

Yonghe Gate Hall

the mind-blowing stress that pervades life in China's capital. Happily, this is not the case, for those seeking a respite can head to the Lama Temple. 

          This famous lamasery is located in the city centre, close to Yonghegong Station, which sits on subway lines 2 and 5. The subway ride there will set you back just 2 RMB (roughly 20 pence). Once outside the station, the route to the temple takes you along a street which is an experience in itself. On either side of the road there are countless tiny shops where you can purchase incense sticks, miniature Buddhas, bead necklaces and other curios. Shabby street vendors peddle similar items, and you may well encounter someone playing the erhu, a two-stringed traditional instrument.

          Having paid 25 RMB for your ticket, you enter the temple grounds through a multi-coloured memorial gate, replete with images of yellow dragons. Beyond lies an avenue bordered by gingko trees, sadly denuded in winter, but yellow and strikingly beautiful in autumn. A handsome second gate (the Zhaotai Gate) is situated at the end of the avenue. Its vermilion walls are surmounted by a sloping roof of cylindrical yellow tiles; with the passage of time the paint is flaking away, leaving patches of grey. Among the wonderfully detailed mythical creatures that adorn the ridges of the roof are phoenixes and dragons. These can be seen on buildings throughout the temple complex.

          Beyond the Zhaotai gate lie dim prayer halls housing Buddhas and other fascinating statues, including one beaming, bald-headed figure known as the Cloth-bag Monk. The visitor can also enjoy peaceful courtyards where the air is redolent with burning incense and the flagstones are sprinkled with

Zhaotai Gate

ash. Shaven-headed monks in brown robes can be seen sweeping the floors, and you can even hear the chirruping of birds in the trees.

      There are drum and bell towers, handsome cypress trees, bamboo gardens, copper lions, and a five hundred year old bell. If you are willing to part with 10 RMB, the bell will be struck three times, supposedly bringing you good luck. Most famously of all, at the far end of the temple complex soars the giant, eighteen metre high statue of Maitreya, or Future Buddha, which was carved from a single piece of sandalwood. 

 

Copper cooking vessel

         Another curiosity to look out for is an ornate and oversized copper cooking vessel, fashioned in the 18^th century, which features carvings of dragons and devouring lions, and stands amid a sea of coins thrown by visitors in search of good fortune. (A message in Chinese instructs people to refrain from such behaviour, but no one batted an eyelid when a young couple chucked some silver at it during my last visit.)

          While the Lama Temple is not Beijing’s greatest tourist draw, it is nevertheless my favourite place in China’s capital.  A couple of hours inside its walls can restore your faith in humanity, and you may even forget you're in one of the world's most colossal and over-populated metropilises. 

 Practicalities: 

Accommodation: I've never stayed in a hotel in Beijing. 

Restaurants: The food in Beijing is the best I've ever had. My favourite place is Yu Xiang Ren Jia in Parkson department store, which serves explosively flavoursome Sichuan cuisine. The oil-boiled fish, Chongqing style chicken and fish fragrant pork are highlights. Parkson is right next to Fu Xing Men subway station, which is 11 stops from Yonghegong station on line 2. 

Getting to the Lama Temple: There's only one thing for it: take the subway. A ticket costs next to nothing (2 RMB) and while it's often crowded, it beats a taxi ride.