Religious Sights in Beijing
With so many years of history, Beijing is full of religion. From Confucian temples to Buddhist ones, from Catholic to ancestral shrines, Muslim Mosques and Jewish synagogues are also available in the city, so Beijing literally has something for every practitioner.
Of course the most common religious sites revolve around past and present Chinese religions like Daoism, Buddhism and Confucianism, as well as ancestral shrines. The Temple of Heaven was where royalty of old used to sacrifice animals to Heaven. It is a massive complex complete with sacrificial arena, kitchen (leftover sacrifice, anyone?) and of course the pagoda temples.
Confucianism was extremely popular in bygone China, and many still follow the more religious aspects of this social organizational structure. The Confucian temple is a beautiful relic of art and religion and is well marked with English information.
Five pagodas and the Lama Temple are also great representations of past years in China, though the markings are less obvious at these and thus information more scarce.
Christianity has never been widely accepted in China, but missionaries did establish churches that survive to this day. The Catholic Cathedrals of St. Joseph and Nan Tang are two such examples.
Of course the most common religious sites revolve around past and present Chinese religions like Daoism, Buddhism and Confucianism, as well as ancestral shrines. The Temple of Heaven was where royalty of old used to sacrifice animals to Heaven. It is a massive complex complete with sacrificial arena, kitchen (leftover sacrifice, anyone?) and of course the pagoda temples.
Confucianism was extremely popular in bygone China, and many still follow the more religious aspects of this social organizational structure. The Confucian temple is a beautiful relic of art and religion and is well marked with English information.
Five pagodas and the Lama Temple are also great representations of past years in China, though the markings are less obvious at these and thus information more scarce.
Christianity has never been widely accepted in China, but missionaries did establish churches that survive to this day. The Catholic Cathedrals of St. Joseph and Nan Tang are two such examples.
Yonghe Gong (Lama Temple)
Yong He Gong Dajie 12
South of the North Second Ring Rd. (entrance on the south end of the complex)
Temple Devoted to Tibetan Buddhism...
Dong Tang (East Church or St. Joseph's Cathedral)
Wangfujing Dajie 74
Dong Cheng Qu (walk north for 10 min.)
Nan Tang Catholic Church
141 Qian Men West Avenue, at Xuan Wu Men Nei Avenue
Xi Cheng District
Historic, well decorated church...
Da Zhong Si (Great Bell Temple)
Bei San Huan Xi Lu 31A
Haidian Qu (west of metro stop, north of Lianxiang Qiao on the northwest side of the Third Ring Rd.)
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