(1) Qingyun Temple, north of Zhaoqing, is number 104 of my 142. I was worried about getting to the temple itself. But it's in a AAAAA park, with an admission fee of 60rmb, plus 20 for the shuttle bus. I walked most of the way back down.
The truth is, the shuttle deposited me at the top, and I experienced the whole place in reverse. But I've switched the pictures, to show it as though we started at the bottom. Got it?
First along the path then: This "100 Buddhas Cave." As they charged 1rmb (around 15 cents) to get in, I told them there'd better be 100 Buddhas or else.
(2) Well, there weren't. At least half were in fact Bodhisattvas, and I only saw fewer than 50 statues total because a whole area was closed due to rain water. No money back, though, when the young guide explained it wasn't a "ticket," just a "donation." I been had.
(3) On up the trail, I loved the mossy roof on this pavilion.
(4) This Tang-style pavilion covers a stele with a poem by a Japanese monk, "Rong Rui," who stayed at Qingyun Temple. More research necessary. [Update 2019: Rong Rui (Jp. Yoei, 栄叡) was one of the monks that invited Jianzhen (Jp. Ganjin, 鉴真) to teach in Japan; Rong Rui died here on Jianzhen's fifth attempt to reach Japan.]
(5) This little hut straddling the path indicates that the temple is near.
(6) In the large plaza at the base of the temple proper, this tree shows what the recent typhoon had done. By the way, this park is right on the Tropic of Cancer, so "tropics" is a big theme here.
(7) The gateway to the stairs leading to the temple
(8) A fine Nine-Dragon Wall on the way up
(9) The front of the compound; a little plain, I think.
(10) The main hall. Despite the hordes of people (better shooting at lunch time), the place was sort of run down.
(11) I wondered why there was no attendant in this "Relics Hall." Just after this shot, a lay attendant came in and told me to get out. Seems a sign at the door said "No Admittance" for some reason; I couldn't read it, though, so I don't think I can be held responsible.
(12) The Seven Buddhas Hall had ... uh ... seven buddhas.
(13) Another hall held my favorite Buddha, Vairochana.
(14) A rather perfunctory 500 Arhats Hall.
(15) I loved the ancient look of this gable.
(16) This is called the "Thousand People Pot." It means (I hope) that enough rice for a thousand people can be cooked in it.
(17) The front of the small Guanyin Hall
(18) The Guanyin inside, a pretty good one
(19) This white camellia tree is supposed to be over 350 years old, and is a symbol of the temple's stamina. Frankly, it didn't look like much.
(20) The Three Saints Hall had 42 (or 48, if you count the flying ones) of these rather stiff-looking celestial musicians. Kind of cool.
(21) The top hall (actually the first I saw) has 10,000 Buddhas. The centerpiece indicates a new color trend in Buddhas. Up 20 more stairs is where I got off the bus, but anyone hiking bottom-to-top could hop on and ride back down.
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Last Updated August 19, 2019
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