Baiyun Guan in Beijing
One of China’s major Daoist temples and the largest Daoist establishment in Beijing, Baiyun Guan (White Cloud Temple) is now the headquarters of the Daoist Association of China. It was originally built in 739. It had since been burnt down and rebuilt, so most of the buildings now date from the Ming and Qing dynasties. The temple conducts traditional Daoist ceremonies on holy days. The temple fair during Chinese New Year is particularly noteworthy.
The temple has a superbly decorative triple-entrance archway. Upon entering, one proceeds through a series of halls. Each hall is dedicated to a different Daoist deity. Baiyun Guan is the chief temple of the Quanzhen Daoist sect and the center of the Longmen (Dragon Gate) sub-sect. Buried in the compound are the remains of Qiu Chuji, a famed Yuan Dynasty Daoist guru who lived in the temple all his life. For this reason Daoists in China regard the White Cloud Temple as their ancestral sanctuary.
The temple covers an area of more than 10,000 sq. m. Its layout is very similar to a Buddhist temple, with several courtyards and the main buildings on a central axis. From the south to the north on the axis are: the Memorial Arch, the Front Gate, Linggongdian (Spiritual Palace Hall), Yuhuangdian (Jade Emperor Hall), Laolǜtang (Old Law Hall), Qiuzudian (Qiu the Forefather Hall), Sanqingdian (Pure Trinity Hall), Jietai (Ordination Terrace) and Lingguoshanfang (Spiritual Result Mountain House).
The Front Gate of the temple is unique. It has three gateways signifying the “three worlds” of Daoism: the world of desire, the world of substance and the world of non-substance. In front of it there are decorative pillars and stone lions similar to the ones in front of the Forbidden City.
In front of Laolǜtang, there is a bronze mule. Legend says that the mule has the power to cure sickness. One needs to touch the part of the mule corresponding to the part of one’s body where the problem is and one will be healed.
In one hall in the western courtyard, there are 60 newly-made figures of Daoist divinities, each representing one year of the 60-year-cycle in Chinese lunar calendar. One can find his personal Daoist divinity according to the year of his birth. Worshipping by burning incense or donating money to one’s personal divinity is supposed to bring him good luck.
On festivals, fairs are at the temple, when Daoist ceremonies are performed by the priests. Handicrafts and snacks are sold at the fair, and the Daoist parade is quite spectacular. Unlike Buddhism, Daoism goes in for more colorful decorations on the buildings and also in their costumes. The most noticeable decorative themes are Daoist immortals, cranes and the Eight Trigrams from Laozi’s Yijing (The Book of Changes).
