Temples

The next day had a religious theme of sorts, as we visited the Lama Temple (Yonghe Gong), which is a Tibetan Buddhist Temple right in the heart of Beijing, and the Temple of Heaven.

The Lama Temple was built in the 17th century and became a lamasery in 1744, housing monks from Tibet and Mongolia.


Here, visitors burn incense and offer prayers to Buddha.


Here, a monk at the temple. The Temple is used at least partly to show China guaranteeing and respecting the religious freedom of minority groups; the monks are state-approved.


Below, the Temple of Heaven, Tiantan. Originally from the Ming Dynasty during the 15th century, it was conceived as the meeting point between Earth and Heaven. Here, the emperor would offer sacrifices and pray for the year's harvests at the winter solstice.