The White Cloud Temple

Tian Chang Temple was built in the 8th century, in Beijing to house a statue of Lao Tzu. After a fire in 1202, the temple was burnt down but the statue was saved. In 1224, Genghis Khan ordered the reconstruction of the temple. It gradually became known as the White Cloud Temple. This Temple is one of China’s oldest and largest Taoist temples; it houses the office of Taoist Association of China. To visit this spiritual site take a look the flights offered at China Travels and book them with anyone of Air China flights.

In Chinese, Taoist temples are not actually called temples, but they are called Guan. Guan translates -too look at or observe. This meaning mirrors the exact expectations of the Taoist beliefs. This is the understanding that Tao comes from a direct observation of nature, rather than scholastic theological studies.

The architecture of the White Cloud Temple has a variety of halls which house the gods of Taoism. The buildings surrounding the White Cloud Temple has a very complex design. Generally arranged in a straight line, it can be divided into three groups, the middle section, the east section and the west section. At the very back you will find a beautiful garden.

The middle section consists of the main building which includes over 50 halls, covering an area of about 2 hectares. To enter the grounds you would enter through a gate on the outside wall. Then walk through the large gateway which will lead you to the temples gate. Afar from the gate are Wofeng Bridge, Lingguan Hall, Yuhuang Hall, Qiuzu Hall, and other buildings.

The west section has a statue of the divine animal Te. This will greet you when you enter. Te has a donkey’s face, a mule’s body, the ears of a horse and the hooves of a cow. There is a legend here that states, Te can cure any illness. If a person is unwell, he could touch his own body where he feels discomfort or sickness and then touch the same part of Te, and he will recover from the disease and be cured.

The east side contains halls such as the Sanxing Hall, Cihang Hall, Zhenwu Hall and Leizu Hall in. Sanxing Hall is dedicated to the great doctor Hua Tuo who lived during the Eastern Han dynasty (25-220); Cihang Hall is the place of worship for the God of Fire; Zhenwu Hall is where God Zhenwu is housed; and Leizu Hall is where the gods who master the changing of the weather are worshiped.

The Yunji Garden is the final installment which is located at the back of the White Cloud Temple. In the backyard the center of the garden holds the altar where the commandments and rules are taught, and the Yunji Hall is where Taoist sutras preach. To actually be apart of such a place check out what tours you can create on Beijing Tours. You can actually build you own trip, and make your China destination dreams come true.