1800What? Beijing Windows

Baiyunguan Daoist Temple is one of the largest and most active daoist holy places in China. It was first constructed in the Tang Dynasty about 1200 years ago to house a statue of Lao Tzu. The Baiyunguan Temple was then burned down several times during the following 700 years. The temple complex including a series of temple buildings, courtyards, bell and drum towers, a pagoda and a small garden were re-built in the early Ming dynasty in the 14th century.

Laozi was the original and the only philosopher of Taoism. His philosophies have influenced many great Chinese thinkers, such as Confucius, Sun Tzu and Han fei Tzu etc. The number of people practicing Daoism is hard to tell, but most Chinese people and many others have been influenced in some way by Taoist tradition.  Because today  Baiyunguan also is the home of China Daoism Association and China Daoism Academy, you will meet many professional Daoists who wear the traditional gown inside the temple.

Nowadays, Baiyunguan Temple still holds one of the largest Temple Fairs, a very traditional event in Beijing.

The 1st to the 19th of the first lunar month were the busiest days for the Taoist temple. People came to worship the God of Star on the 8th. The 18th was the day to “meet immortals,” But supposedly, only pious people could have the chance to see the immortals. The 19th was the birthday of Qiu Chuji , once the patriarch at Baiyun. Some aristocrats and high officials used to give out money on this day in the hopes of attaining immortality. Vendors would gather in and around the temple to sell food and toys. Entertainment activities also attracted a lot of people.

Here are some pictures I shot about 2 years ago:

Address: Binhe Road Baiyunguan Street ( close to the Baiyun Road)
Ticket Price:  RMB10
Public Transportation: Bus Line No. 319, Te6, 717, 650 and 26.
Suggested Time at this Site: 2 Hours
Open Hours:
May to Sept.: 8:30-16:30 
Oct. to  April:8:30-16:00 
 

Credit card is becoming more and more popular among Chinese people, at least in the major cities such as Beijing. But cash still plays a more important role in China than in western counties. Consequently, skills to detect fake banknotes are still quite important. But don’t be scared, it’s not as bad as what you might be thinking now. The 1999 series and 2005 series RMB has many very sophisticated anti-counterfeit features. Just “better to be prepared”.

Here is a simple summary about how to detect the counterfeit RMB:

NO.1 Look at the “Water Mark”.

This is the most popular and efficient way to check if you are holding a fake banknote. When you hold a 100 RMB banknote against the light, a distinct portrait of Chairman Mao will appear on the left blank area. But be careful, some counterfeit notes have a watermark as well. But the fake watermark usually is obscure

NO.2 The “Security Line”

There is a vertical strip going through the middle of the banknote. Look at the drawn lines, you should see the word “100 RMB” was printed on it consecutively.

NO.3 “Touch”

The real RMB is printed by using the technology of intaglio, therefore when you touch it, your finger will feel the slight concave-convex. Counterfeit notes are printed with offset press, which made the fake notes smooth by and large.

Good luck!