Baiyuanguan Temple by mke1963
This is a wonderfully peaceful place, an ancient Taoist temple, still very much an active one with monks in residence. Although it lies at a busy junction, facing the Yellow River, silence seems to pervade this temple as soon as you set foot inside the gateway. The temple, like many in this part of China, is entered underneath a large opera stage. Currently, this structure and other buildings in the complex, are being restored, so it is a little difficult to get a feel for the scale of it. The carved stonework inside the gateway is impressive, and there are similar large circular carvings on the sides of several buildings inside the compound.Although this temple is very old, it has been extensively renovated, and the Jade Emperor in the main Shrine Hall dates only from the year 2000. The Jade Emperor is the highest spirit in the heavens, and the master of all the emperors. To the right, in a recenly restored hall, are the three officials of heaven, water and earth, flanked by the sovereign Wenchang and the immortal known as Perfect Man Zi Yang. Although only created in 2004, they are very well executed, and a symbol of how well modern religious sculptures can be done in China.
With restoration being conducted in June 2006, it was notable that the wall restoration at several points was being conducted using very traditional techniques and materials, including missing plant matter into the plaster to increase adherence to the inner layers.
The monks at Baiyuanguan are particularly friendly and enjoy showing people around the temple. Also, in contrast to many Buddhist temples in China, the majority of the monks seemed to be young.
