the futility of capitalism: xuanwu lake, ji ming temple and the city wall

Since we've spent all of our weekends since we moved here cooped up, shopping or doing other things I'd rather not be doing, I decided that we needed some culture yesterday. The weather was also nicer and warmer than it's been the entire time we've been here, which made it easier to get out.

Our destination for the afternoon was Ji Ming Temple, one of the oldest temples in Nanjing, with a history some 1500 years long. Getting there was fairly simple; all we had to do was walk along Xuanwu Lake, which is right across from our apartment.

You have to go through the Xuanwumen Gate to get to the lake. This is a short walk from our apartment. In my mind, it should look like this:

Alas, in this modern age, this is what the area really looks like. Still pretty cool, though:

After you get through the gate, this is what you see:

Walking along the lake is very pleasant, and there are various small buildings, trees and other things to see and stop at.

Home sweet home:

We got a little bit lost on the way to the temple since there were two paths along one part of the lake; we were looking for the next gate, but never saw it since we had taken the lower path, which had no gate. We probably walked 10 minutes too far, but that's OK--it was nice and we were getting decent exercise.

Inside the temple:

The main open space of the temple has a lot of action in it. People burn incense, bow and pray, all in the shadow of the largest pagoda in the temple, which also happens to be a fairly recognizable landmark if you're not inside the temple.

Getting incense ready:

These people are throwing coins at the top of this cauldron-looking thingy. Getting a coin inside the holes at the top is supposed to bring good luck.

Seeing wheels and/or swastikas like this is very common in Buddhist temples, as both are important symbols in the religion.

Photography isn't permitted in most of the shrines, so this is about as good as it gets for my idol photos. The first is Guan Yin, a popular boddhisattva worshiped all over China, but especially in the south:

Looking up at the main pagoda:

A couple of thrilled looks from the little lady:

After we spent about an hour inside the temple, we decided to walk around the nearby city wall for a while. I had previously done this on another section of the wall and found it entertaining, and this time was probably even more entertaining due to the lake views and busier skyline that Nanjing has now vs. in the old days.

Views of the temple and grounds from the wall:

Looking toward Purple Mountain:

The tallest building in this photo also happens to be one of the tallest buildings in China. It houses the Intercontinental Hotel, which is where we stayed when we came to find a place to live.