EXTRA: Shanhua Temple, Datong, Shanxi

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on January 26, 2015.)

The Vairocana Buddha (毗卢遮那佛) at Shanhua Temple (善化寺), Datong, Shanxi
(山西, 大同市), is the center of the Buddhas of Five Directions (五方佛).

August 24, 2012 - Back in central Datong the next day, there was a lot to see besides Huayan Temple. On my way to Shanhua Temple near the South Gate, I walked past the Ming-Dynasty Drum Tower which stands in a traffic circle in the center of the walled city. (The wall was still being built during my visit, and traces of the old wall could still be seen.) The Drum Tower was closed, though, due to road construction around it.

No. 122: Bishan Temple, Wutai Shan, Shanxi

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

Vairocana Buddha (毗卢遮那佛) and attendants in the main hall
at Bishan Temple (碧山寺), Wutai Shan, Shanxi (山西, 五台山)

August 25, 2012 - Boarding the bus near Mt. Wutai's Guanyin Cave--the most southerly point I visited on the main road through Taihuai--I rode all the way to Bishan Temple, the northernmost temple on my itinerary.

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.)

No. 73: Xichan Temple, Fuzhou, Fujian

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on September 16, 2013.)

A statue of Vairocana Buddha (毗卢遮那佛) at Xichan Temple (西禅寺), Fuzhou, Fujian (福建, 福州市).

October 24, 2011 - It was nearly 4 p.m. when I reached Xichan ("Western Zen") Temple, but although the halls would close around 6, the grounds would stay open until 7:30!

No. 1: Lingyin Temple, Hangzhou, Zhejiang

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on December 5, 2011.)

This Vairocana Buddha (毗卢遮那佛) and the two bodhisattvas at his
sides are located in the uppermost hall at Lingyin Si (灵隐寺) in
Hangzhou, Zhejiang (浙江, 杭州市), the first "official" temple I visited.

August 18, 2009 - In the summer of 2009, I discovered a list of 142 Buddhist sites designated "Key Temples" by the central government back in 1983. I immediately set out to start seeing all of them. In this new column, I'll chronicle my adventures, and offer some tips on seeing these temples and the surrounding places of interest in China.

My first excursion, in August of that year, was to Zhejiang, since I had friends living in Beilun, a suburb of Ningbo. After spending a night with them, I hopped a highway bus for the 2-1/2 hour ride to Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang.