Temple of Bliss, Harbin

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This is a very active Buddhist Temple, with plenty of rich atmosphere. It would be a shame not to visit Jile Si if you are in Harbin.

Jile Si is not an ancient temple, so most of the statuary has an almost carnival feel. But the sincerity of the worshippers is the real thing.

We are not Buddhist, and I don't buy into Buddhism in the least. That said, the Temple of Eternal Bliss is an interesting place to visit. It is very clean inside and the traditional architecture is a breath of fresh air into a city with wall to wall modern buildings. Don't step on the thresholds (it's bad luck) and watch out what you take a picture of (it could be rude). Take special not of all of the swastikas on everything. I learned that the Nazi's stole a Buddhist symbol for peace and prosperity and turned it into the world's most hated symbol.

Temple of Bliss and Pagoda Courtyard (Ji Le Si and Ta Yuan), both next to each other. The pagoda courtyard is the most impressive and contains several buildings that are filled with more than 100 different golden colored statues. The temple of Bliss, less impressive houses a congregation of monks. See the travelloge for more pictures of these temples. Both temples are visited by chinese people, bringing offerings and saying prayers.