On my second day in Chengdu, I discovered Qingyang Gong (also known as Green Goat Temple). Although the guidebooks say that Wenshu Temple is the city’s most popular temple among local Buddhists, Qingyang Gong is by far a quieter, more beautiful, more peaceful place. (Though Wenshu is great place to watch the monks...which I love to do, too.)

So Qingyang Gong is now my favorite place in Chengdu, and if I were ever to move to this city, I would ask the resident monks for a part-time job...sweeping the walks, watering the flowers, washing dishes...anything that would allow me to spend time there every day.

Truly, this is the most beautiful temple I’ve visited in China (and I’ve visited a number of temples). It’s almost a trick, because the entrance is on a VERY busy street at least four lanes wide. When I got out of the cab, I thought, “No way.” I figured I’d do a quick 10-minute spin and head back to the hotel. But then I walked through the gate, passed a giant black-and-white yin-yang painting on a wall, and then wandered into a green, flowery haven that looked like something out of a storybook. Truly...a storybook.

One of the nicest things about temples and monasteries is that they feel as if they will never end. You walk through one temple, look at the gold Buddhas towering above you, and you cross out the other side. On the other side is another garden and yet another temple. You cross through that. And another. It is endless. At 10:00 on an unexpectedly cool morning in Chengdu, happily endless.

My visit was endless...almost. I stayed nearly three hours, chatting with various folks, eating the bread roll I brought along, meditating, and taking lots of photos.

So check out the photos....here...