The Chengdu Chapter

Chengdu, a curious mix of the eclectic, modern landscapes with ancient temples and buildings on the fringe and not to mention a conservation project to save the pandas thrown in for good luck.

Wenshu Temple  a monastery which dates back to the Tang dynasty, is the largest and best-preserved Buddhist temple in Chengdu. Originally known as Xinxiang Temple, it was renamed after a Buddhist monk who lived there in the late 17 th century.

The Wenshu (Manjusri) Monastery was built in the Southern Dynasty and rebuilt in the Qing Dynasty. Its main buildings include the Hall of Lokapala, the Hall of Three Bodhisattvas, Daxiongbaodian (Precious Hall of Sakyamuni), Shuofatang (The Buddhist Lecture Hall), and the Scriptures Hall. There are over 400 statues of stone, iron, bronze, painted-clay as well as wood, in various size and shape in the Monastery.

The monastery is bustling with crowds of worshippers who flock to the place to light incense and rub the statues and icons for luck. The exquisite relief carvings that decorate many of the buildings in the complex are very unique.  While the monks enjoy a game of ping pong. 

 Hundreds of little turtles inhabit the ponds in the temple grounds

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The alley off Renmin Zhonglu on which Wenshu Temple is located, bustles with activity and is a curiosity in itself, filled with joss-stick vendors, foot-callus removers, tea houses, blind fortune-tellers with bamboo spills, and flower and fireworks sellers.

The exotic and intoxicating scent of Sichuan pepper rises to our third floor balcony - We are staying at the Buddha Zen next to cuisine Street.  

 Modern Chengdu

 From posh poodle shoes to sad jelly

And after a hard day of exploring Chengdu and its surrounds one can enjoy a visit to a traditional tea house.