Beijing: Dongyue Temple and the end of the adventure

This is it. The final day. Today, I fly home to Norway. With a little time to spare before I have to head for the airport, I choose to explore something close to my hotel, the Dongyue Temple. Also known as the Temple of the Eastern Peak. Paula had made a visit to it and told me it was a nice little temple. After my Shikoku 88 Temples Pilgrimage, there is something drawing my attention towards temples, even though I am not religious in any way.

The front gate of the Dongyue Temple.

Dongyue Temple courtyard.

Founded in 1319, this Taoist temple is dedicated to the Great Deity of the Eastern Peak. Built for offering sacrifice to gods and ancestors on a national scale. The temple also contains the Beijing Folk Custom Museum.

Prayer tablets hanging inside the temple.

The west pavilion in the temple.

Now for the real deal. The temple is nice and all that, but the real reason you should visit this temple for, is the 76 rooms depicting Taoist hell. It is all about a bureaucratic way of dealing out rewards and punishment in the afterlife, given ones virtues and wickedness through life. In each room there will be one 'minister' of the department, and several plaster statues depicting the characters of that specific department or hell.

The top part of one of the large stone tablets, inside one of the pavilions in the temple.

The Bronze wonder donkey in front of the west pavilion in the temple. The Bronze wonder donkey is the riding animal for the God Wen Chang. It is a supernatural animal, that has a head of a horse, the body of a donkey, the tail of a mule and the split hoof of a hull. By touching the animal, you will supposedly be cured of a disease, so it was customary for people to come here to touch the Bronze wonder donkey.

The list of the various departments or hells includes Department of Signing Documents, Department for Determining Individual Destiny, Department of Confiscating Unwarranted Property, Plague Performing Department, Department for Implementing Fifteen Kinds of Violent Death, Department of Raingods, Department for Demons and Monsters, Unjust Death Department, Department for Preservation of Wilderness, Department of Betrayal, Department for Bestowing Happiness, Egg Birth Department, Toxicant Department, Department for Resurrection, Department in Charge of Suffering and Distress, Department of Instant Rewards and Retribution, Department of Pity and Sympathy, Department for Accumulating Justified Wealth, Water Birth Department, Door God Department, Department for Controlling Evil Spirits, Department for Suppressing Schemes, Department for Wandering Ghosts, Flying Birds Department, Department of Petty Officials, Execution Department, Final Indictment Department, Death and Life Department.

The department of Earth Gods.

Unujust Death Department.

The Egg Birth Department for instance, is there to make sure that people do good deeds in their life. For if not, they will become flying birds of low class in their next birth, and will have to go pecking at food to be able to stay alive. Another department, the Unjust Death Department, bears the following plaque: "'Unjust death' means the kind of death caused by homicide, suicide and unexpected accidents. Taoism holds that the victim of premature-death, out of their anger over their loneliness, would intrude into homes and residences. This department is especially in charge of the souls of those unjust death cases before they work up merits". Another department, the one for demons and monsters, says that demons and monsters are kinds of devils that often harm people in the dead of night. The department controls and supervises them and forbids them to wander and bewilder people.

A red colored demon cutting off a mans tongue, a punishment for betraying your lord among other crimes.

A blue demon in one of the departments of the Taoist pantheon.

I think my favorite is the Department for Implementing Fifteen Kinds of Violent Death. The plaque reads "Taoist doctrine believes that those who commit evil deeds will fall victim of their own evil deeds as a death punishment ranging from death caused by starvation, clubbing, revengeful murder, killing in battle, or death caused by fierce animals or snakes, burning fire or flood, poisoning, outbreak of madness, falling into an abyss, tricks of an evil person or a ghost, incurable diseases and suicide".

Two of the guardians at the Dongyue Temple.

Dragon stone tablet socket.

One cannot but admire how creative the various religions around the world are when it comes to dealing out punishment. I wonder in which department I will come.

Underside of a lantern at the Dongyue Temple.

And then, it is over. My time here in Asia is over. From hiking in North Korea to sightseeing in Beijing. Now for the long flight back home. It is a good thing that memories does not put on weight in the physical world, then I fear that my adventure here will cost me a lot more.

The front gate of the Dongyue Temple with a view of the courtyard.

<- Beijing: The Forbidden City, Jingshan Park

Beijing: The Forbidden City, Jingshan Park

Looking out the window in the morning, I can only think how great it was that I decided to visit the Great Wall yesterday and not today. It is grey and sad outside, with a light rain in the air. I am on the last day of my journey, and I will spend the majority of it going to the Forbidden City.

Tian'anmen square in the rain, closed off.

Tian'anmen Gate with Chairman Mao, under maintenance.

Going to the Forbidden City feels like going to an airport. Be sure to bring your passport. First, I have to go through a security check, getting my passport scrutinized on the way. Then they scan my passport when I buy a ticket to the Palace Museum (which is actually what they call the Forbidden City now), the ticket is now tied to my passport. To get in to the Palace Museum, I only need to scan my passport at the entrance. Have I entered another country? I do not get a stamp in my passport though, bummer. Would be cool to have a stamp with something like 'Forbidden country' or 'Forbidden city' on it. Guess I have to stick with my North Korean visa. That is forbidden enough for many.

Top of the Meridian Gate (Wumen).

The Tian'anmen Square or Gate of Heavenly Peace is closed off when I arrive. No strolling around on the square for me then, I can still see it though.

The South-West corner tower of the Forbidden City.

I initially thought I was entering the place when I walked through the gate with Chairman Mao watching over my entrance, but it is not. That is the Tian'anmen Gate. The Forbidden City lies behind, with the Meridian Gate (or Wumen) blocking the way. This gate is recognizable by its two protruding wings. Emerging out of the gate, I can take a look at the square in front of the next gate awaiting me, the Gate of Supreme Harmony. They are generous with the superlatives when it comes to naming the various structures, just read out loud: Gate of Divine Might, Hall of Supreme Harmony, Hall of Military Eminence, Hall of Literary Glory, Palace of Heavenly Purity, Hall of Mental Cultivation, Palace of Tranquil Longevity and Belvedere of Spreading Righteousness.

Rooftops of the Forbidden City. Nearly all of the rooftops are yellow as this was the color of the Emperor.

The Golden Water River (artificial) running through the Forbidden City.

The Forbidden City is not a park. I wish it was. It is like being a miniature man in an ant hill. There are people everywhere. Take away the people, and I still feel small. I suppose that was the general idea with the Forbidden City, as it is with other equal structures around the world. The former Chinese imperial palace is impressive.

Square in the Forbidden City with the Golden Water River running through it, the Meridian Gate to the left.

The Hall of Supreme Harmony.

I stay there for some time, walking and looking at the ornate buildings, decorations and statues, both from the ground and from the walls around the area. I like seeing the White Pagoda in Beihai from the walls. Entering from the Meridian Gate, you will first come to the Outer or Front Court, used for ceremonial purposes. This is the most open and large of the sections of the Palace Museum, dominated by the Hall of Supreme Harmony. When entering the norther section, which is called the Inner Court or Back Palace, the area becomes more confined. This was the residence of the Emperor.

Statue of a crane at the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Normally, I am not the one going crazy about buying souvenirs and various trinnkets from my adventures. However, inside the book shop (near Hall of Literary Glory), I just have to buy a scroll with a long Chinese painting of a landscape on. It is beautiful, with the strange and otherlike mountains captured in an almost incandescent blue.

The Hall of Preserving Harmony.

The constant rush and throng of the people, is however making me tired and so I leave the Forbidden City without having seen all there is to see.

Jingshan Park from the walls of the Palace Museum.

The weather has gradually improved. To the North of the Forbidden City lies Jingshan Park. This was before a private imperial garden belonging to the Forbidden City. Standing in the middle of the park is a 45.7-meter tall hill artificially made from the excavated soil from the moats and canals from the Imperial Palace. There are five separate peaks on of the hill, each with its own pavilion on top.

A caisson ceiling (spider web ceiling) in a pavilion inside the Forbidden City.

The North-West corner of the Forbidden City.

Coming from the busy Palace Museum, it is a step down in hustle and bustle. At the upper top is the biggest pavilion, overlooking the Forbidden City. In a way it feels better to see the Palace Museum from above than seeing it from within, it gives a better overview of the place. A plaque on the ground announces that this is the central point of Beijing. I can see the towering modern skyscrapers of Beijing to the East, where my little hotel is tucked in somewhere between.

Jingshan Park.

The Central Point of Beijing City plaque at Jingshan Park.

In the park surrounding the artificial hill, there are small artistic installations. Hanging between the trees above the path, I find numerous umbrellas hanging. It is no longer raining, so they are of little functional use at the moment. Small tanks contains water and various fish specimens in them. People are playing cards at small tables in quiet enclosures away from the more trafficked foothpaths. I sit down for some beers in a café near the entrance. It is really the time I spend in the parks here in Beijing that I find the most giving.

View of the Forbidden City from Jingshan.

The skyscrapers of modern Beijing seen from Jingshan Park.

There is still time left of the day, but is there time left to visit the Yonghe Temple or Lama Temple as it is known for. After I finish my 'scheduled' plans for the day, I make a go for it. The idea came from just seeing the name on a stop at the Beijing Metro. I take the metro to the Yonghegong Lama Temple station. However, I am as I feared too late. The Tibetan Buddhist monastery has closed for the day. Instead, I go for a short walk around the area, before getting back to my hotel.

The top pagoda at Jingshan Park.

Umbrellas over one of the pathways at Jingshan Park.

It is strange now, this last evening. My hike in North Korea is done, my visit here in Beijing is almost done. I have just one evening and night left. Tomorrow, I have some time to do a little sightseeing before I must head towards the airport for my flight back home. And I feel kind of tired too. I just eat dinner at a restaurant I find in a shopping mall nearby. 謝謝

Streetlife in a street near Yonghegong Lama Temple.

Decoration at the Yonghegong Lama Temple metro station.

<- Mutianyu: The Great WallBeijing: Dongyue Temple and the end of the adventure ->

The Great Wall: Mutianyu

I am so tired when I wake up in the morning and even though I can see blue sky outside my window, I spend a long time deciding whether I should go and see the Great Wall or not. In the end, I have to literary kick myself out of the bed, reminding myself that I want to see the wall. And the weather looks promising.

On the ropeway up to the Great Wall, to metal track of the toboggan ride to the left.

Sinead had visited this section of the wall before going to North Korea together with us and so I had got the name of the town I had to travel too and the number of the bus going there from her. Problem is that when I arrive at the Dongzhimen bus station, the bus number I had been given did not exist. In addition, the name of the town I had got was something like 'Hariyou'. That, however, proved to get me on the correct bus. As I could see signs for buses going to Huairou, that was close enough for me to get my confirmation. Then I found out that I did not have enough small enough change to buy a ticket at the bus. Where was my mind? I had to let the bus go. Fortunately, the buses goes quite often. There is also a direct bus going at specific times to the Mutianyu section from Dongzhimen.

The Eastern part of the Mutianyu section as seen from one of the watchtowers, with the Mutianyu Pass below and the old and overgrown continuing section of the wall.

Next step will be to get off at the correct bus stop. Sinead had warned me that if I get off on an earlier stop than the proper one, I would be at the mercy of the black taxi drivers. Meaning that the price of a ride to the Great Wall will be higher. I have also heard that they sometimes gets on the bus and tells tourists that an earlier stop is the proper one, so be sure to get off at the correct one. You should get off at the Huai Rou Bei Da Jie (怀柔北大街) bus stop, which is the 15th stop (of 20 stops). From there either take a taxi or wait for the local H23 bus that goes to Mutianyu.

The mountains of Mutianyu.

Looking towards West on the Great Wall. I would end up walking all the way to the part above the writings at the far end from here.

The moment I get off the bus, I am almost assaulted by the black taxi drivers. So beware. I find it extremely annoying and irritating. After spending a lot of time fending of one black taxi driver after another, a group of Chinese having caught hold of a metered taxi 'rescues' me and say I can share the taxi with them. The taxi driver is however not content by just getting me to my destination, he find it necessary to guide me to the ticket booth so I can buy the correct tickets for the wall. Which is funny in a way, as the whole area is so touristic that not been able to talk English at the entrance looks like utopia.

The Mutianyu Pass, consisting of three watchtowers connected to each other, which is a rare structure usually not found on any of the remaining parts of the Great Wall in China.

I need some food too before I get up to the wall above, but even though the place is full of places to eat, I find it difficult to locate a place. It is just way too touristic. How to kill a worthwile sight. I do find a good enough place in the end.

Doorway to the Great Wall.

Thinking time, I decide to take the ropeway up instead of walking up. I get in touch with three Italians having travelled around South East Asia for a time, but today is their last day and they will fly back to Italy tomorrow. Up at the Great Wall, I could but marvel at this feat of ancient engineering. The Mutianyu section is one of the best preserved parts of the Great Wall still standing. It was built in the middle of the 6th century during the reign of the Northern Qi dynasty, rebuilt in 1569. The length of the restored Mutianyu section is about 2250m long, with the wall about 7 to 8 meters high and 4 to 5 meters wide.

A watchtower on the Great Wall.

Walking out of the ropeway, I first start off in the Eastern direction of the wall, which is the shortest stretch I can walk before hitting one end. The first footsteps lets me immediately know what this walk is about, steps. Lots of them, and quite steep at times. Seeing the wall with its watchtowers and merlons winding itself up the steep and forest hillsides really fascinates me. Over me, the sky is blue and clear, providing me with great views in every direction.

The Great Wall of China.

Reaching the Eastern end of this section of the wall, I can look back over the whole section of this part of the Great Wall as it winds up and down the ridge to West of me. The Great Wall actually continues from this point on too, but looking out of one of the windows in the last accessible watchtowers, I can see that the wall from here on is overgrown. That does not stop people from walking on it, it appears. If you continue walking eastward, you will get to the Lianhuachi section of the wall.

Steep stairs on the wall.

I turn around and then walk of in the other direction. I am so lucky with the weather today, but it also makes for a hot walk that leaves a trail of sweat behind me. For how long or how far on the wall I will walk I have not planned, I just guess that I will walk as far as I feel for. Walk up and down on endless stairs and steps, overlooking the mountains and valleys around me through the merlons on the wall. Some of the watchtowers have stairs or ladders that you can use to get to the top of them.

Overlooking the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall.

An old doorway or gate at the Eastern end of the wall.

After countless steep stairs, I eventually find myself almost at the other end of this section of the Mutianyu part of the Great Wall. Here, the path dissolves into vegetation. From here, you can walk to the Jiankou section of the wall. This is actually a quite popular hike to do. If I had spent more time looking about the options of what to do in Beijing, doing that hike could definitely be something that I would have wanted to do. Now, I am not prepared. A handwritten signpost announces that this is the last place to get water and snacks for 10km, here a local has made a sort of makeshift kiosk. I go a short distance into the trail, but turn back when the wall I have been walking on has turned into a soft foothpath instead.

Last chance to get water and snacks for 10km, here the footpath going to the Jiankou section of the wall begins.

Looking back over the Mutianyu section, I can see the ramparts of the wall stretch itself over the rugged ridgeline. It is wonderful, but some sections are really steep and I have to walk all of them again to get back. I wonder if I have gone too far in terms of getting back in time. The ticket I bought included a ride down with the toboggan, which let you ride down on a metal track using a kind of a sled. I had first planned to walk down, but decides to make use of the ticket. Unfortunately, the person in the sled before me is riding with a baby and so is naturally taking it very slow and safe. It was still kind of fun though. I miss the shuttle bus down and have to wait a little for the next one to arrive.

Looking back over the wall from the Western end.

A window to the Great Wall.

Down at the tourist trap, I meet again the three Italian guys. They want to take a taxi down and do not care if it is a black taxi or not. I join in, driving like crazy back to a bus stop from where we can catch the bus back to Beijing. It is a tiresome ride back, a Chinese family is also on the bus and the kids are yelling out loud the whole trip without the parents doing anything about it.

The walk on the wall is sometimes quite steep.

Being tired, I only go out to eat dinner at a nearby local place in the evening. The rest of the evening, I sit down and relax at my hotelroom. With the Great Wall off my list, I know that I will go to a once forbidden place tomorrow. Today was a great day walking on the marvel of the Great Wall of China.

The Mutianyu Great Wall.

<- Return to Beijing, Beihai ParkBeijing: The Forbidden City, Jingshan Park ->