My life and other things: Yonghegong, Confucius Temple, Imperial College, Ditan Park, and Olympic Park

Today was the first day we did something touristic in Beijing. As we are currently staying in the Beixinqiao Hutong, Yonghegong, also known as the Lama Temple, and the Confucius Temple are in walking distance. In total we have walked approximately 27,000 steps this day. Stories of our visits and photos can be found when you continue reading.

Yongehong

According to the information found at the entrance of the temple, this is the biggest Tibetan Buddhist Temple. It is also home to the largest Buddha carved from one single piece of wood. For the latter, it holds the Guiness World Record. Being 26 meters tall, one can imagine how big a tree it must have been.

The complex houses several halls, each devoted to a certain "pray-able entity". You pass most of these entities, before reaching the big(gest) Buddha. On your way, in order to pay homage to a particular entity, you can burn incense. To give some credit to the honesty and devotion of the temple: incense is complimentary.

The complex itself and the inside of each of the halls is very nice to see. It is a pity that taking photos is prohibited inside the halls. But I think this is quite okay, as this is first of all a place for prayer.

The grandeur and the beauty of some of the things seen is difficult to put in words. When in Beijing this is a must-see attraction! And for an entrance fee of 25Y, it is also not very expensive.

Confucius Temple

Statue of Confucius

A couple of minutes away from Yongehong, is the Temple of Confucius. Although this may come as a shock, it is a temple devoted to... Confucius. Confucius was a philosopher who, during his life, "developed" ideas and ideals how to life a proper life. Just to enlighten some of you; his real name is not Confucius. As his family name is Kong, Confucius is the Latin version of "Kong Fu Zi" meaning Master Kong.

The temple itself is not that big, but it is worth visiting. It has a small museum about Confucius' life and lots of stone tablets. Of course, you can also find a statue of the man himself. The ticket price includes entrance to the Imperial College.

Imperial College

Glazed Archway

The imperial college was the college of the olden days. During the Ming dynasty, a lot of building were build for this college. Upon entering, you first encounter a marvelous glazed archway. After that you find the main building, surrounded by water. The square is front of the building is quite large as all student would stand there, while the teacher would read from within the main building. As there were no microphones or sound installations at that time, one has to listen very well.

Ditan Park

One face of Ditan Park

Ditan Park (entrance fee 2Y) is a park located in the north of Beijing, some 10 minutes a walk from the Imperial College. Its west entrance lies on Andingmen Outer Road. This park contains the Temple of Earth, and the accompanying altar. However, during our visit there was a Chinese medicine fair at the altar grounds which made it impossible to make any pictures; most of the grounds was covered with ugly white tents. The temple itself is accessible by paying an extra 5Y. However, it is not really worth visiting. It is just a place cramped with stuff. However, if desired, you can pray to the God of Earth (I presume).

Olympic Park

Olympic Stadium

Last attraction of the day was the Olympic Park. It contains the Olympic Stadium, the Olympic Swimming Pool, and a small public park. It even contains a forest, although we did not visit it.

It is possible to visit the stadium or the swimming pool, though you have to pay a rather high entrance fee. I really do not know whether it is worth visiting, but I can imagine somebody who is crazy about sports would love a visit. It is nice to visit the place and I would recommend it to anyone, although I can imagine that some will find it quite boring.