Vi bor i Kina: Hong Lou Si / Röda snigel templet

En klar och vacker vårmåndag blev det äntligen av, utflykten till norra Kinas största buddhistiska tempel - Hong Lou Si - det 1700 år gamla templet strax norr om Beijing. Kersti som varit här flera gånger tog denna dag med mig och Afsi till detta fina tempelberg. Vi har pratat om detta ända sedan i höstas.

"Obviously with a name like "Red Snail Temple", there must be an interesting story behind the name. According to the local legend, there were two giant red snails that lived on the side of the mountain where the temple was eventually built. Apparently these were some kind of alien snails as they supposedly emitted strange lights at night, which led the local villagers to pay homage to these giant red snails. The mountain become known as Red Snail Mountain, and the temple itself, which was originally known as Great Brightness Temple, was eventually given its current name of Hong Luo Si, or Red Snail Temple.

One of the highlights of the temple are the 500 Buddha statues (Arhat Statues) that are nested in groups amongst the forest of trees up and down the mountainside where the temple is located. Clad in red robes, it is not possible to see all 500 Buddha statues at once, but dozens of them can be seen in groups scattered throughout the trees at one time, which provides for dramatic and striking scenery that will definitely leave a lasting impression.

Another feature of the temple is a winding path lined with numerous carved statues of all of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac, which makes for a nice walk up the mountain and good opportunities for photos with the animal from your particular birth year (or just an animal that you like)."

Solen sken och himlen var blå och vi vandrade, pratade och fikade och njöt både av naturen, utsikten och den vackra tempelmiljön på bergsluttningen.