The Gao Temple (Gao miao) is located within the town of Zhongwei, 170km southwest of Yinchuan. The temple was originally built in the early Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD), was flattened by an earthquake in 1739 AD, was rebuilt and enlarged after this and then razed to the ground by fire in 1942. The present temple is a magnificent jumble of buildings and styles covering an area of about four thousand square meters.
The temple is a structure that, like the Hanging Monastery near Datong, caters mainly to the three religions of Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism (although the temple even goes so far as to celebrate Christianity and other religions that have tried to find their home in China). Statues of the Gautama Buddha, the Jade Emperor and the Holy Mother can still be seen here, under the roofs of the 250 temple rooms that make up the complex.
The present day temple is still mainly wooden in structure, and is beautifully interwoven, with tier upon tier, veranda under eave, presenting a most impressive aspect. The temple also has a gruesome face, however, in the caverns below the temple. These caverns, originally converted by the communists as a bomb shelter during the uncertainty of the Cultural Revolution Years (1966-76), have now be turned into a peculiar kind of Chinese religious hell, where devils are depicted torturing those souls who strayed from a righteous path. This basement is definitely worth the entrance fee.
How to get there: The temple is in the center of town, reached from the northern end of Gulou beijie.
Opening hours: Daily, 08:00-18:00.
Cost: RMB5 temple entrance fee, RMB5 entrance fee to the imaginary hell.
How to get to and from Zhongwei: All trains for the Lanzhou-Beijing railway line stop in Zhongwei. There are trains on to Yinchuan (3hrs), Lanzhou (5hrs), Xi’an (9hrs), and many more destinations. Buses regularly ply between Yinchuan and Zhongwei (4hrs). Some buses head from Zhongwei to Lanzhou (7hrs). The railway station is in the north and the bus station in the east.
Hotels: Convenient is the Railway Hotel (Tielu binguan, Tel: 0953-07031948), opposite the railway station. Has doubles for under RMB100, and triples without bath for under RMB30. More up market, and of better standard, is the Yixing Hotel (Yixing dajiudian, Tel: 0953-7017666), to the northeast of the Gulou jie’s intersection. Prices range from about RMB40 up to RMB400.
Additional sights: Shapotou, 16km west of Zhongwei, has a desert research center (Shamo yanjiusuo) and a nice stretch of the Yellow River (Huanghe).
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