The Puning Si is a must, if only for the statue of Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy, the largest wooden statue in the world. It’s the only working temple in Chengde, with shaven-headed Mongolian monks manning the altars and trinket stalls, though the atmosphere is not especially spiritual. Undergoing major restoration at the time of writing, the temple is usually clamorous with day-trippers, some of whom seem to take outrageous liberties, judging by the sign that says “No shooting birds in the temple area.” There are turnouts that the monks you see are really paid government employees working for the tourist industry, though the vehemence with which they defend their prayer mats and gongs from romping children suggests otherwise. The Puning Si was built in 1755 to commemorate the Qing victory over Mongolian rebels at Junggar in northwest China, and is based on the oldest Tibetan temple, the Samye. Like traditional Tibetan buildings, it lies on the slope of a mountain facing south, though the layout of the front is typically Han, with a gate hall, stele pavilions, a bell and a drum tower, a Hall of Heavenly Kings, and the Mahavira Hall. In the Hall of Heavenly Kings, the statue of a iht, grinning monk holding a bag depicts Qi Gl, a tenth-century character with a jovial disposition who is believed to bca reincarnation of tile Buddha. Four gaudy devarajas (guardian demons) here glare down at you with bulging eyeballs fi-om niches in the walls. In the West Hall are statues of’ Buddha Manjusri, Avalokiteshvara and Samantabbadra. In the East Hall, the central statue, flanked by arhats, depictsJi Gong, a Song-dynasty monk who was nicknamed Crazy Ji for eating meat and being ahnost always drunk, but who was nmch respected for his kindness to the poor. The rear section of the temple, separated from the front by’ a wall, conrprises 27Tibetan-style rooms ]aid out symmetrically, with the Mahayana Hall in the centre. Some of thc buildings are solid, with Glse doors, suggesting that the original architects were more concerned with appearances than fianction. The hall itself is dominated by the awe-respiring, 23-metre-bigh wooden statue of Guanyin. She has 42 arms with an eye in the centre of each pahn, and three eyes on her face which symbolize her ability to see into the past, the present and tile future. Tbe hall has two raised entrances, and it’s worth looking at the statue from these higher viewpoints as they reveal new details, such as the eye sunk in her belly button, and the little Buddha sat on top of her bead. On the thirteenth day of the first lunar month (Jan or Feb), the monks observe the ritual of”catching the ghost”, during which a ghost made off dough is placed on an iron rack while monks dressed in white dance around it, then divide it into pieces and burn it. The ritual is thought to be in honour 0fa ninth-century Tibetan Buddhist, Lhalung Oaldor, wbo assassinated a king who had ordered the destruction of Tibetan Buddhist temples, books and priests.The wily monk entered the palace on a white horse painted black, dressed in a white coat with a black lining. After killing the king, he washed the horse and turned the coat inside out, thus evading capture fi’om the guards who did not recognize him.

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