Qingyang Taoist Temple

If you are interested in Chinese Taoism, the Qingyang Taoist Temple is highly recommended. Located in the west suburbs of Chengdu, the Qingyang Taoist Temple (Green Ram Temple) is the oldest and most extensive Taoist temple in the Chengdu area.

This famous Taoist temple was first built during the Tang dynasty. Most of what you see now is actually restorations made during the Qing Dynasty. Its major structures include: Sanqing Hall, Doulao Hall, Hunyuan Palace, Eight Trigrams Pavilion, and Wuji Palace. Many interesting legends are told about these buildings. You can ask a tour guide to tell you some of them.

The spacious main hall, Sanqing Hall, is home to three statues that many Taoist believers worship. In front of these are standing two eye-catching bronze goats. For local visitors, stroking the bronze goats here is a must as it can supposedly vanquish life's troubles and pains. Although called a goat, one of them is actually a strange and unrecognizable creature. It is unique in that it combines features of all the Chinese zodiac animals, with mouse ears, an ox nose, tiger paws, rabbit back, snake tail, dragon horns, horse mouth, goat beard, monkey neck, chicken eyes, dog belly, and pig thighs.

Another highlight here is the Eight Trigrams Pavilion. Built on square foundations, with a colored glazed dome on top, this octagonal building reflects the ancient Chinese philosophy that "the sky is round and the earth is square". There are eight pillars with dragons drawn in relief in the corridor. Colorful caissons and the symbols of eight trigrams are ornately arranged across its ceiling.

While walking around and admiring the beautiful and colorful temples, you can relax and have some delicious tea at the teahouse. Every temple has a teahouse, where people sit around in bamboo chairs, drink jasmine or green tea, and chat or just while away the day. The temple also has excellent nightly performances of Sichuan opera and theatre.