EXTRA: Yungang Grottoes, Datong, Shanxi

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on January 5, 2015.)

A Buddha (佛) surrounded by other carvings in a cave at
Yungang Grottoes (云冈石窟), Datong, Shanxi (山西, 大同市).

August 22, 2012 - My next visit wasn't on my list of temples, but was not to be missed. Yungang ("Cloud Ridge") Grottoes is one of the four great Buddhist cave sites, and the third I've seen (I still haven't been to the complexes in Gansu, but enjoyed Longmen and Dazu before this trip).

EXTRA: Wooden Tower, Yingxian, Datong, Shanxi

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on January 19, 2015.)

The impressive Wooden Tower (木塔) in Yingxian (应县), Datong,
Shanxi (山西, 大同市), is said to be the world's largest such structure.

August 23, 2012 - It was surprisingly easy to go from Datong to the Hanging Temple--but surprisingly hard to leave there.

EXTRA: Road to Wutai Shan, Shanxi

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on February 2, 2015.)

This gateway (牌楼) leads to an ancient castle (古堡​) off the road to Wutai Shan, Shanxi (山西, 五台山).

August 24, 2012 - Wutai Mountain is one of China's "Four Buddhist Mountains," and the third that I have visited. From Datong, the road led south, causing me to retrace some of my steps from two days prior. I actually saw the Wooden Pagoda from the bus window! We then sped across a plain and started climbing, with views of even more remnant towers from (one of) the Great Wall(s).

EXTRA: Beishan Grottoes, Dazu, Chongqing

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on March 24, 2014.)

An elegant Buddha Triad (三尊佛) at Beishan Grottoes (北山石窟) near "downtown" Dazu, Chongqing (重庆, 大足).

June 18, 2012 - After the somewhat cartoonish figures at Baodingshan, I found the elegance of the next set of grottoes refreshing.

EXTRA: Baodingshan Grottoes, Dazu, Chongqing

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on March 10, 2014.)

The famous Wheel of Rebirth (六道轮回) at Baodingshan Grottoes
(宝顶山石窟), one of many in and around Dazu, Chongqing (重庆, 大足).

June 17, 2012 - Having seen the three Chongqing temples on my list, I decided to take a side trip to see some of the UNESCO-listed rock carvings at Dazu.

EXTRA: Longmen Grottoes, Luoyang, Henan

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on December 9, 2013.)

Colossal Vairocana Buddha (毗卢遮那佛) at Longmen Grottoes (龙门石窟) in Luoyang, Henan (河南, 洛阳市).
It's said that this is the face of Wu Zetian (武则天), the empress who paid for much of the carving.

November 2, 2011 - Longmen is considered one of the three "Top Buddhist Grottoes" in China, and was the first of these that I visited. It is considered by some to be the best of the three. (I still have not been to Mogao/Dunhuang, but I have seen Yungang at Datong.)

EXTRA: The Temple of Heaven, Beijing

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on May 6, 2013.)

The mammoth Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests(祈年殿) at the Temple of Heaven (天坛), Beijing (北京)

July 14, 2011 - During my stay in Beijing, I was focused on my list of 142 key temples and had little time for more general sightseeing. But my patron insisted on my seeing the Temple of Heaven, so I spent a pleasant afternoon there.

EXTRA: Home of Confucius, Qufu, Shandong

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on May 7, 2012.)

Inside one of the rooms at the Home of Confucius (孔府) in Qufu, Shandong (山东, 曲阜市). I was
fortunate to visit there with my friend Venerable Yanti (释延提) and one of his seniors, the great
monk Yongqian (释永乾) from Shaolin Temple (少林寺), and a "Buddhist pop star" named Gu Kai (顾凯).

April 3 & 4, 2010 - After my two summer trips, school started and my pilgrimage was put on hold until, in the spring of 2010, I received a surprise invitation.

EXTRA: The Terracotta Warriors,Xi'an, Shaanxi

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on March 26, 2012.)

Before visiting any temples in Xi'an, Shaanxi(陕西, 西安市), we
visited the Terracotta Warriors (兵马俑) site outside of the city.

August 30, 2009 - Three days after my return from Shanghai, I arrived in the fabled ancient capital of Xi'an, this time with my wife in tow.

The plan was to see four of Xi'an's eight temples on my list, all of them inside or very near the city walls (and thus accessible by local buses). But at my wife's insistence, we started our trip far from the walls themselves--about 40 kilometers outside, in fact, in Lintong County at the site of the breathtaking Terracotta Warriors.