Chongqing Sightseeing: Hua Yan Tourist Spot

Last weekend, our friend Frank offered to take us to his favorite temple in Chongqing. This turned out to be a fantastic afternoon, if a little hot. The temple complex, called Hua Yan Tourist Spot, was not listed in the Lonely Planet, so Lucia and I felt pretty lucky to have found out about it from someone in the know.

It was about an hour and a half away from our house, via two metro transfers and a bus transfer (almost feels like living in LA!). We stopped mid-way for some noodle lunch with Frank after meeting up with him at the appointed metro stop.

The most incredible thing about this "tourist spot" is how tucked away it is, yet how firmly it remains in the urban landscape. It doesn't look like much from the street, albeit a beautiful gateway.

Hua Yan Temple on the approach...

Lucia, Frank and I in front of the entrance gate to the Hua Yan Tourist Spot

 Once inside, though, the intricacies of the extensive temple grounds begin to present themselves.

Vibrant paint job on the ceiling of the entrance hall.

 And then, once you pass through the entrance hall, you get your first glimpse of the main attraction: a gigantic golden Buddha. Passing through this hall felt like stepping out of the city and into ...well, a temple.

Through the gate: Lucia approaches the Golden Buddha 

The Golden Buddha is truly incredible, sitting atop a long staircase bisected by planters full of lotuses. Around the base of the Buddha are probably a dozen sand boxes full of incense sticks, lit and placed by temple-goers. The whole area smells like incense and between that and the heat, it creates quite the transcendent experience. 

Golden Buddha watches over

Golden Buddha against unusually clear skies

Looking in the other direction, though, squarely places you back in the city of Chongqing - the iconic high rise buildings and the mountains behind them.

The Golden Buddha's view: the towers and hills of Chongqing

In addition to the Golden Buddha, there are a number of other sites at the Hua Yan Tourist Spot. Several temples, gardens, caves, a vegetarian restaurant (!! But we didn't go.) and some residences for the monks dot the grounds.

Temple on the Hua Yan grounds

Some more intricate ceiling work inside the temple

Frank translates one of the signs for Lucia

Temple built into the walls and crevices of a cave!

Some beautiful lotus-flower candles burning outside the cave temple

Stairs leading up some hills on the temple grounds

The Seven Step Lotus Pond was my favorite part of the grounds. The introductory sign, which was translated into halting English, says this about the pond (I have slightly edited it so that it makes sense):

"Legend has it that Shakyamuni was born to walk, and when he was born, he walked seven steps. Every step he walked was followed by the growth of a lotus. Hence lotuses have closely been associated with Buddhism, and it can be seen everywhere in temples."

The sign goes on to incomprehensibly describe the "nature of the lotus" but one point manages to stick out: "...though baptized by ripples, she stands modest." I'm not entirely sure what that means, but I think I like it.

Frank revels in the enormous lotus pond 

Some lotuses "baptized by ripples, standing modest."

All in all, a fantastic outing. A beautiful respite from the bustling city. Still hot, but somehow more tolerable with all the greenery. How is this not covered in the Lonely Planet? Actually, on second thought, better let it be.