The Jietai Temple, hidden in a valley of the Western Hills outside Beijing, was built 1,300 years ago during the Tang Dynasty. Its courtyards are full of ancient trees. One, the Sensitive Pine, is more than 500 years old and trembles all over if you touch a single one of its branches. The monastery is beautiful at any time of year, and there is nowhere more sacred anywhere in China. It is a place you can go if you are troubled, or to meditate, or for a picnic, or, on a day like today, to take your child to build a snowman.
Please click on thumbnails below to scroll through the gallery:
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- Jietai Temple
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- Into the temple precincts
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- Courtyard in the snow
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- The gate to the monks’ garden
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- Snowball and tortoise
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- Frozen temple garden
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- Sensitive pine
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- Relaxing on the terrace
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- Dancing brazier
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- Dragon head tortoise
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- Adam
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- Ice blossom
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- Mother and daughter
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- Father and daughter
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- Sybil
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- Lion 1
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- Lion 2
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- On temple steps
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- Hong Ying
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- Temple yard
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- Offerings
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- Cold turtle
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- Stupa
Thanks for sharing these nice photos with us. Our family will definitely make our short trip to Jietai Temple one day.