Let's Visit a Temple

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Hello Friends:

Although China is officially a non religious country, it has many beautiful and ancient temples. Most of the temples that I have visited here are dedicated to the Buddhist religion. I have also seen a Catholic Church and a Moslem Mosque. There are temples dedicated to important teachers as well; I visited the Temple of Literacy, dedicated to Confucious, during my time in Beijing. The Temple of Literacy was built in 700 A.D. Later on, it became the first public library in China.

Some temples are located right in the heart of the city. Others are more remote. Yesterday, I climbed to the top of a mountain to visit a Buddhist temple from the 14th century. There were about 40 monks living at the top. They were very welcoming.

Sometimes, neighborhoods spring up around religious buildings, because they become the center of activity for that community. The Moslem Mosque, built in 1100 A.D. is like that. There is a whole neighborhood of homes, markets, and schools surrounding the mosque. The prayer hall can hold 10,000 people.

The Catholic Basilica is located in a busy part of Beijing. It is also quite large. The Catholic priests, who also run the nearby Chinese Studies School, told us that the basilica held over 30,000 people at Easter service.

I was surprised to see such a variety of religious places in a Communist country. Each temple, mosque, or church I have visited has been a place of beauty and peace.