Throughout our trip, I have learned a lot about Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Hinduism, and the last religion I am going to focus on is Taoism. We saw examples of this religion at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. Additionally, we saw evidence of Buddhism at the Lama Temple, also in Beijing.
Taoism
Our last world religion I am going to cover is Taoism. This is a way of life and was founded by Lao Tzu. This religion/way of life is mainly practiced in China, Malaysia, Vietnam, Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Followers of Taoism believe in living in harmony with the “Tao” or “Way” which could let them become Immortals. Taoists also believe in the yin and yang, which is used as a symbol of this religion/way of life. The yin side is white and represents men, the sun, and creation, while the yang side is black and stands for women, the moon, and death.
Temple of Heaven
The Temple of Heaven is a Taoist temple and was built for the emperors during the Ming dynasty. The temple was used to pray for good harvest and good weather. There are many connections to numerology and yin and yang in the temple design. Yin and yang are opposites of each other, and this also applies to numbers. Yin numbers are even numbers (2, 4, 6, 8, etc.), while yang numbers are odd numbers (1, 3, 5, 7, 9, etc.). Since 9 is the highest yang number, it is considered lucky and was only used by the emperors.
One of the best things about the temple are the grounds. They are used as a community gathering place where everyone comes to socialize. Walking around, you can see people doing traditional and ballroom dances, tai chi, badminton, shuttlecock kicking, small concerts, playing cards, and more fun activities.
An interesting thing to see is the Wedding Market. When single people are working, they have no time to arrange dates, and their parents want to help them out. The parents put their child’s information, like job, income, age, and height, on a piece of paper then they go to the Wedding Market and look at other “applications” to see if they can make a good match. This has been in the culture for a long time and it’s neat to see how it is still done today.
Lama Temple
This temple was built by the Chinese government for the Tibetan and Mongolian Buddhists to keep the peace. It is a very large temple and reminds us of the Temple of Literature in Vietnam because there were small courtyards in between thee different buildings. There are also many places for people to light incense sticks to send prayers to heaven. In one of the buildings in the complex, there is a throne for the Dalai Lama, which is like the Pope for Catholics.
An amazing sight to see was a giant Buddha. It is 18 meters tall and the building around it is five stories tall. Surprisingly, the Buddha was made using only one tree! It is so incredible, it has received a Guinness World Record.
Visiting these religious places was interesting and gave us a look at what Buddhist and Taoist temples look like in China. I have learned that it doesn’t matter what your place of worship looks like, as long as you feel like you can speak to your god(s) in your chosen place.
Comments
2 responses to “China’s Religions”
Hi Mik,
Thank you for sharing this great blog with the excellent photos! For about 40 years I have walked past a driveway that has the Ying and Yang symbol on it wondering what religion it represented! Now you have made me aware. Thank you. I love how the grounds of the temple are used for the different groups to enjoy their interest. Your conclusion was lovely!. Love, Baba
Hi Baba,
It was really interesting to see how the temple grounds are used as a public park. All the activities look like a lot of fun!