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📍 Yonghe Temple

Yonghe Temple is one of the largest Tibetan Buddhist temples in the Han region of China. It was originally the home of the Qing dynasty during the Qing dynasty and the time of the Emperor, and the place where the Qing Gao sect grew up. As the residence of two emperors, it later became the palace of the Qing emperor, and eventually became a royal temple. The architectural design of Yonghe Temple reflects the traditional layout of Chinese Buddhist temples, and symbolizes the majesty of the Buddha's world through the elevation of each temple. Yonghe Temple preserves the bronze Buddha and 500 Arahan Mountain with rosewood carvings for worshipers. In addition, there is also the Yonghegong Tibetan Buddhist Art Museum for visitors to learn more about the history and practices of Buddhism.

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Before officially entering Yonghe Temple, you can see the three archways at the entrance. The detailed patterns on the archway are written separately, “Zunsheng Renshou”, and “Shidai Yuantong”. The detailed patterns on the archways make you deeply feel the art culture of ancient China.

After entering Yonghe Temple, you can see two beautifully designed cylinders with a three-dimensional, flower-like surface, crystal clear under the sunlight. The results were discovered by looking closely. It turned out that they were divided into barrels for recyclable materials and non-recyclable materials. I really admire Yonghegong for being able to pay attention to such details.

A large bronze bell was placed in front of Yonghe Temple. The bell was filled with verses written in the Chinese script, including “The Buddha Ding Zun Sheng Zun Sheng Sheng Sang Mantra”, “Leng Yan Mantra”, and “The King Kong Sutra.” Its level of precision gives people a sense of solemnity, and is used for devout good faith and praying for blessings.

The palace's pavilions preserve the typical style of Buddhist buildings, connected by a flying bridge, and are very impressive. Yonghe Temple has a total of 11 halls (including the Jingjing Hall, Time Wheel Hall, Yakushi Hall, and Tantra Hall), as well as three pavilions on the sixth floor. Since they don't want to interfere with good faith or religion, the Buddha statues and images placed inside the temple were not deliberately photographed.

However, when I saw the statue of Mireya standing tall in the Wan Buddha (the tallest building in the palace), the majestic feeling made me have to record this time. The statue of Milla Buddha carved in white sandalwood won the Guinness World Record in 1990. As soon as I entered the gate, I saw a 26-meter-high Buddha standing in the center. The whole thing was very powerful, representing the sacred scene of “a Buddha born in the present”.

Before leaving, don't forget to turn one turn in a clockwise direction when passing through the meridian wheel. The spinning wheel is used to accumulate merit. Each turn represents reciting the hidden scriptures once, and if you keep spinning, you can always accumulate merit. The “Prophecy Sutra” mentions the effects of the Taoist Ring, which can eliminate all evils and diseases, and is a very sacred process for good faith.

📍 Wudaoying Hutong

After leaving Yonghegong, the center of Buddhism, we turned to Wudaoying Hutong. Located near Yonghe Temple, Wudaoying Hutong is a recent literary and artistic gathering place. Unlike Nanluoguxiang, there is no excessive development here, and the number of stores is relatively small. There are dozens of small stores here, including various cafes, boutiques, studios, etc. There is relatively little traffic here, so it is relatively quiet and suitable for walking.

There are quite a few jewelry stores in the hutong. Unlike other big brands or cheap products you often see, these unique styles are more appealing and seem to show your personal style. Of course, the shape of the ring and the material on the ring are all loved by girls.

In addition to the store, we also found a small gallery and are starting classes to teach handicrafts. I saw many people and children working together to knit and weave one art piece after another with copper wire. I felt a different literary and artistic atmosphere here, and I felt a different literary and artistic atmosphere, and I was able to clear my mind.

Of course, coffee shops cannot be overlooked in a literary and artistic gathering place. Each coffee shop here has its own characteristics. Some provide benches to attract customers to spend the afternoon, while others attract customers with snacks of various shapes. Just like this puppy cake, lying pretty on a plate, so cute.

Wudaoying Hutong is not very long, so you can finish the tour in no time. So at the end of the day, we sat down at one of the small coffee shops, ordered a few cups of cold coffee, and spent a lazy afternoon outside the store. From Yonghe Temple to Wudaoying Hutong, the two places have very different styles, yet they are so cozy.