Transcript
JANUARY 3, 2012 4:06AM Arniko welcomes you to D!u ncient #ei$in%& Kublai Khan built the city of Beijing, away from his previous headquarters Xanadu, and Arniko is a Nepalese architect, brought from Nepal to assist the Khans building of this great city! he #hite $agoda emple is the oldest building in Beijing!%anuary &, '()', my latest research project, Arniko*on the coldest day so far in Beijing, +)- &#ecuse Arniko's skills were so re(ere!, t)is tem*le sur(i(e! t)e +ulturl Re(olution, w)ic) !estroye! mny ncient tem*les n! icons -t is *rotecte! .y t)e /o(ernment to t)is !y o give you an idea of what life was like one thousands years ago, and what role temples like these played in the lives of everyday people here, . quote a local reporter/ http://english.cri.cn/4406/2008/07/29/1942s386831.htm Our reporter Xu Weiyi Located in the western part of downtown Beijing, the WhitePagoda Temple, or Baita Si, is one of the most famous structures in the city. The White Pagoda Temple is a symbol of old Beijing, so the bus station near the temple is named after it. !now the White Pagoda Temple. s soon as arri#ed in Beijing, heard its name. The White Pagoda Temple was one of the most important projects when $ublai $han, the first emperor of the %uan &ynasty, established his capital at &adu, now Beijing, some '(( years ago.The pagoda was designed by )epalese architect rani!o to commemorate the Buddhist relics of Sa!yamuni and to symboli*e the magical powers of the deity as well as the emperor.+riginally !nown as iao %ing Si, the temple was later renamed the White Pagoda Temple because of the white pagoda inside. The White Pagoda, designed in the shape of an in#erted alms bowl, is now the biggest and oldest preser#ed Tibetan Buddhist pagoda in-hina. Longtime Beijing resident Bai huo witnessed the most prosperous days of the temple. There were many temples near the white pagoda, and a regular temple fair was held there e#ery ten days. t that time, the WhitePagoda Temple was always full of people who came to buy daily essentials. y friends and used to #isit it often. Though we did not need to buy anything, we li!ed to go there and enjoy the festi#e atmosphere of the temple fair. n the old days, the White Pagoda Temple fair was one of the most important e#ents in residents/ daily li#es. 0#en today, many Beijingnati#es still ha#e clear memories of it. 1uan 2inghe has li#ed in the neighborhood near the temple for o#er forty years. %ou could find #arious !inds of goods at the temple fair, including food, clothes, furniture 3 almost e#erything you needed. Stalls behind the pagoda which sold snac!s were the children/s fa#orites, especially those selling typical Beijing snac!s. dults enjoyed the different performances put on in the middle part of the temple, such as Pe!ing +pera and acrobatics. 1uan/s wife smilingly recalls a story from her childhood. saw a group of children peeping though the gate of the temple, so did the same thing out of curiosity. What did see4 saw the statue of hou -ang, a strong, legendary warrior with a dar! face and a wiry beard. t loo!ed horrible in the dar!. was scared by the scene and refused to go to the temple fair for a long time afterwards. Temple fairs in the White Pagoda Temple ceased after the 567(s. The longtime residents lo#e the temple and don/t want to lea#e it, so they remain in their old houses near the temple, hidden from the bustling metropolis that is modern Beijing. n the past years, the temple and its nearby neighborhood ha#e been shot in many popular T8 series as a scene to indicate +ld Beijing and the traditional Beijing life. 9or old Beijing nati#es li!e 1uan 2inghe and his neighbors, the White Pagoda Temple is not only a symbol of the old city, but also a #ital part of their li#es . Gongs have special signiicance in a temple. !he ring out all important #an$ no so important% events. !he soun$ can &e hear$ all aroun$ the neigh&orhoo$. Large gong at Baiti Si, {heavy, too} 0y guide and photographer 1u 2inghui, shows me how a real -hinese pulls the gong! #hen you let go, you say a prayer, which is sent out on the wings of sound! 3ounds like this/ 4see youtube video5
