Dabei, the best preserved, largest and oldest Buddhist monastery in Tianjin is located on the Tianwei Road in Hebei District. It was originally built in the end of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The present temple, covering an area of 10,600 sq.m., is composed of two parts: the West Temple and the East Temple. The West Temple is the site of Tianjin Buddhist Institute, including the Wenwu Hall and Buddhist Abbot Hall and in the East Temple lies the Dabei Buddhist Temple with the Grand Hall featuring hundreds of statues made in Chinese ancient times with bronze, iron, wood and stone. These exquisite and artistic statues demonstrate the care and the precision of the sculptors. This site is easily accessible to those staying at a Tianjin hotel such as Somerset Olympic Tower Tianjin.
Though this monastery was first built in the Ming Dynasty, it has been rebuilt and renovated since and now consists of Dabei Hall enshrining the statue of Kwan-yin with 24 arms and a pair of eyes which can perceive all sides. The wall inside Dabei Hall is painted with colourful murals, depicting the life experiences of Sakyamuni, the Buddha. Tianwang Hall houses the statue of Maitreya Buddha, the Future Buddha in the centre. The statues of Four Heavenly King stand on the two sides, symbolizing favourable weather for the crops.
Tianjin Dabei Buddhist Temple, once housed an invaluable Buddhist treasure, a piece of head bone relics of Xuanzang, an eminent monk in the Tang Dynasty (618-907). In 1956, the Buddhist relic was sent to India as a gift, as a token of the friendship between India and China. Now, even without the top treasure, the temple is still very popular among disciples and visitors, especially on Buddhist festivals days. In addition, various tasty vegetarian foods are available in the vicinity.
A visit to this monastery is the best thing to do for visitors to Tianjin City, who are interested in Buddhism and Buddhist historical sites.
Shehera Fioni is a travel writer who writes under the pen name Catalina Forbes. Her content is based on many thrilling escapades offered to travellers across the world.
Google+