Discover China

Songshan is considered to be the central sacred mountain of China. At the foot of this 1500 metre high mountain, close to the city of Dengfeng in Henan province and spread over a 40 square-kilometre circle, stand eight clusters of buildings and sites. These buildings are reflections of different ways of perceiving the centre of heaven and earth and the power of the mountain as a centre for religious devotion. Find out more about this amazing World Heritage listed location by watching the online videos of the CNTV Journeys in Time six-part Series: Mount Songshan.

I enjoyed a visit to the Songshan Shaolin Temple and its ancient pagoda forest as part of my travels through Anhui, Henan and Zhejiang provinces in 2009 (see story and pictures).

In 2008 I had the pleasure of visiting the White Horse Temple in Luoyang in central China’s Henan Province (see story and pictures). With over 1900 years of history, White Horse Temple is described as the cradle of Buddhism in China.

Over the next eight years, the temple will be expanded into an 87 hectare cultural park, the largest in China, with an International Temples Zone showcasing 10 exotic shrines from foreign countries. One can already be visited – an Indian shrine opened in May 2010. Two more will open shortly – a Thai shrine built in the 1990s is being expanded and will open in April, and a Myanmar Buddhist garden will be created in April.

Find out more in the China Daily article ‘Cradle of Chinese Buddhism’ embraces world.

West Lake is the most famous feature of Hangzhou, capital city of eastern China’s Zhejiang Province. I had the pleasure of a very brief visit in 2009 and hope to return again to experience more of this delightful city. James Baquet introduces another of the city’s features in his Shenzhen Daily article Jingci Temple, Hangzhou.

Many visitors to Shenzhen are familiar with Hongfa Temple in Fairy Lake Botanical Garden, the largest Buddhist temple in the city. James Baquet introduces some more in these Shenzhen Daily articles:

• Hongyuan Temple, Shiyan
• Longxing Temple, Longgang
• Houwang Temples

You can also see the previous news stories Two Shenzhen temples, Tianhou temples in Shenzhen, Two temples in Xili, Two temples in Dapeng and The difference between temples and halls?

Chinese folk temples and local halls share many characteristics, especially on the outside. However, as James Baquet explains in the Shenzhen Daily article Temples vs. halls, the interior of the building will betray its true purpose.