‘Hello, you want lady massage?’ she shouted……. (really, nothing could be further from the truth). Anyway, I copied a trick, and told the lady in the red dress that I was probably too expensive! That seemed to work and I walked on. Unfortunately, her first approach was made when I was wandering one of Beijing’s many vast shopping malls. An hour later and outside, after an electric storm that cleared the streets like a bomb had gone off, the red dress appeared again but, on recognising me, said only ‘Oh no, it’s ******* you again!' Nice. Anyway, it’s one way to deal with the occasional scams and approaches on Beijing’s centre’s streets. ‘Hello, which country are you from?’ or ’Hello, you want to come for tea / beer / coffee [insert drink of choice]’ are both guaranteed attempts to part you with significant amounts of cash. They are easily enough dealt with and, frankly, are harmless and swiftly rebuffed.
However, with a view to escaping to the country, and to review the Rough Guide entries for some ‘out of town’ day-trips, I headed for two famous and ancient Buddhist temples about 40 kilometres from Beijing, Tánzhè and Jiètái. I was lucky enough to meet a Chinese student en route, who not only enlightened me as to the local pollution levels (PhD in environmental engineering) but, as a Buddhist, gave me a fascinating insight into the spiritual importance of the two sites.
Tánzhè is the larger and busier of the two, nestled in the hillside and winding upwards as a maze of shrines and incense sellers. Jiètái, although smaller, was my favourite site, as it was practically deserted and contained ornate gardens with huge, ancient, hanging trees supported by rocks and girders. The temples have very few monks now, as far as I could see, although Tánzhè was a preferred pilgrimage destination of the Emperor, so the colours of red and yellow match those that dominate the Forbidden City. The temple complex also has a series of cool and damp caves that are now shrines or once provided shelter for the monks who used to reside here. Jiètái boasts huge pagoda-tombs and beautiful, colourful character statues of the various Deities. Both temples are a must-see and offer tranquillity and peace in the misty hills outside Beijing. And not a red dress in sight…..!
