Prajna Temple, Temple of Kindness, Big Buddha Temple
These three Buddhist temples are situated adjacent to each other on the east side of Da Nan Jie (大南街). All of them are open to the public from 8am--3:30pm and there is no charge for admission. The alleys surrounding the temples are filled with vendors and small shops selling Buddhist ...
These three Buddhist temples are situated adjacent to each other on the east side of Da Nan Jie (大南街). All of them are open to the public from 8am--3:30pm and there is no charge for admission. The alleys surrounding the temples are filled with vendors and small shops selling Buddhist accoutrements and souvenirs such as incense, statues, books, etc., and you will find fortune tellers sitting outside the temples. Though the temples themselves have little to separate them from the thousands of other temples around China, they do offer a peaceful escape from the often chaotic city. (scroll down for photos)
Prajna Temple 般若寺 bō’rě sì
Prajna is a Buddhist concept meaning ‘wisdom’, and is one of the “six perfections” on the Buddhist path to enlightenment (read more). This small temple was built over 300 years ago during the early Qing dynasty, and is very well preserved and maintained. It is the farthest south of the three temples.
Temple of Kindness 慈恩寺 cí ēn sì
Situated between the Prajna Temple and the Big Buddha Temple, the Temple of Kindness is the oldest, largest, and most impressive of the three temples, despite being the least well preserved. Built over 500 years ago during the Ming dynasty, it is one of Shenyang’s oldest structures. The temple/monastery features a large courtyard, several shrines, and long rows of rooms that would have once housed hundreds of monks.
Big Buddha Temple 大佛寺 dàfó sì
The name is slightly deceiving, as this is the smallest of the three temples and has no especially large Buddhas. Nevertheless, it’s beautiful and well-maintained. It was built over 300 years ago during the Qing dynasty.
Location: On the east side of Da Nan Jie (大南街) about 2 km north of the inner ring road (wenhua lu 文化路), 3 km south of Middle Street, and a few blocks southeast of Wuai Market.
Useful Bus Routes:
113 to/from South Tower, Shenyang University
213 to/from Beiling Park, Orthopedic Hospital, Middle Street, Imperial Palace, Wu Ai Market, South Tower
250 to/from North train station, Huigong Square
257 to/from Tiexi Carrefour, Heping Square, Taiyuan Street, Imperial Palace, Middle Street
260 to/from Shoe City, Wu Ai Market, North Market, Bei Hang
263 to/from Malu Wan, Taiyuan Jie, South Station, Xi Ta
291 to/from Beiling Park, North Train Station, Imperial Palace, Middle Street, Huigong Square
环 to/from San Hao Street, Exhibition Center, Heping Square, Imperial Palace, Middle Street, Taiyuan Street, Zhongshan Square, South Train Station
Ceremonial incense burning at the Temple of Kindness
Lilac Tree in bloom at the Temple of Kindness
Prajna Temple
Front Gate of Prajna Temple
Fortune Teller outside of Prajna Temple
Front Gate of Big Buddha Temple
All photos on this page were taken in May, 2007
Benxi Water Caves and Guanmen Mountain
Benxi is and industrial city located about 63 km to the southeast of Shenyang. In Northeastern China, the city is famous for its steel industry. Indeed, you can see the enormous, hideous factory just across the river from the city itself. If the win...
Benxi is and industrial city located about 63 km to the southeast of Shenyang. In Northeastern China, the city is famous for its steel industry. Indeed, you can see the enormous, hideous factory just across the river from the city itself. If the wind is blowing the wrong way, the factory (and the dozens of other factories surrounding the city) belches out smoke that lingers in the city’s air. The city is situated in kind of a bowl, surrounded by large hills on most sides. This can make for some beautiful scenery on a clear day, but unfortunately it often prevents the smog from blowing away. Benxi was once identified by the UN as one of the most polluted cites in the world. In recent years it has cleaned up somewhat, and most days is tolerable, at least temporarily.
For most visitors, the pollution doesn’t matter too much, because they don’t bother seeing much of the city anyway, but rather go straight to the main attractions…the water caves and Guanmen Mountain.
To get there: Benxi City is about one hour from Shenyang by bus. The most convenient way to get there is to leave from the South Station Long Distance Bus Station. You can buy tickets in the station itself, or you can find buses leaving regularly from Min Zhu Lu (民主路) right in front of the South Train Station. The bus costs 19 yuan one-way. When you arrive in the Benxi long distance bus station, you can buy another ticket to the water caves for 9 yuan. The ride from Benxi to the caves is around 50 minutes. There is one bus every day that goes directly from the caves to Shenyang, it leaves around 2:30. If you miss that, you can catch a bus or taxi back to Benxi and get a ride to Shenyang from there.
The “scenic area” is quite large, and if you have the desire (and the endurance), you could spend a whole day there wandering around. There are around eight hours worth of hiking paths (mostly stairs) going up and around the mountain. Most of the paths are surrounded by thick forest, small streams, and waterfalls, and are very peaceful and serene. There are some nice views on the way up, but unfortunately most of them are blocked by tall trees and foliage. If you go on a non-holiday, especially during the week, there are very few people here, and when you’re on the trail it seems like you have the whole place to yourself. There’s also a beautiful little restaurant where you can choose your own fresh fish or choose one of the live chickens wandering around the area.
Benxi Water Caves 本溪水洞 Běnxī shuǐ dòng
The caves, said to have the “world’s longest underground river that is navigable by boat”, are pretty interesting, and worth taking a half-day to visit. The tour consists of a forty minute long boat ride through the caves, which are lit up with colored lights and have signs with the names of the various rock formations. Interestingly, the caves stay at about the same temperature year-round, which means that in the summer they will provide you with a jacket because the caves feel quite cold; but in the winter you may have to take off some clothes!
The water cave park area also has some other attractions including a geological museum, a crocodile show, river rafting (not particularly exciting), and some hiking trails up a small mountain. For 187 yuan you can buy an all-inclusive ticket that also includes rides on electric cars that will take you from one attraction to the next. If you only want to go to the caves, the entry is 167 yuan.
To get there: Benxi City is about one hour from Shenyang by bus. The most convenient way to get there is to leave from the South Station Long Distance Bus Station. You can buy tickets in the station itself, or you can find buses leaving regularly from Min Zhu Lu (民主路) right in front of the South Train Station. The bus costs 19 yuan one-way. When you arrive in the Benxi long distance bus station, you can buy another ticket to the water caves for 9 yuan. The ride from Benxi to the caves is around 50 minutes. There is one bus every day that goes directly from the caves to Shenyang, it leaves around 2:30. If you miss that, you can catch a bus or taxi back to Benxi and get a ride to Shenyang from there.
Closed Door Mountain 关门山 guānménshān
Located about one hour outside of Benxi City is the Guanmen Shan scenic area. Altough Benxi City is quite polluted and unattractive; the city is surrounded by tall rolling hills and thick forest, and is quite beautiful.
The Guanmen Shan scenic area is a beautiful, relaxing escape from either Benxi or Shenyang, and is well worth a visit. Entry to the park is around 60 yuan. Once inside, there are very few peddlers, shops, or tourist traps that can interfere with your enjoyment of the great outdoors.
The “scenic area” is quite large, and if you have the desire (and the endurance), you could spend a whole day there wandering around. There are around eight hours worth of hiking paths (mostly stairs) going up and around the mountain. Most of the paths are surrounded by thick forest, small streams, and waterfalls, and are very peaceful and serene. There are some nice views on the way up, but unfortunately most of them are blocked by tall trees and foliage. If you go on a non-holiday, especially during the week, there are very few people here, and when you’re on the trail it seems like you have the whole place to yourself. There’s also a beautiful little restaurant where you can choose your own fresh fish or choose one of the live chickens wandering around the area.
While the lack of peddlers and shops can be quite nice, keep in mind that once you start climbing the mountain there is no place to buy food or water. It’s best to carry some snacks and at least a few bottles of water. Also, the hike up the mountain consists of many stairs and is quite steep in parts. It’s probably not suited to young children, the elderly, or anyone in poor physical condition.
Getting there: You can catch a bus from the Benxi long distance bus station (客运站 kèyùnzhàn). Also, there is a tour company inside the station that offers special tours to Guanmen Shan, the Water Caves, and some other sites around Benxi. But beware of group tours. They often take you on a tour that includes other useless places that you don’t want to go to, while limiting your time on the mountain. Be sure to ask exactly what places are included on the tour. If they can offer a ride directly to the mountain, go for it. If not, just take a regular bus yourself. You could also take a taxi there for around 100 yuan (maybe less if you bargain hard). You may be able to arrange a roundtrip taxi as well, but it will probably cost you more.
Guanmen Shan is not far from the Benxi water caves, so if you start early in the morning, you could see both places in one day. If you’re not in a hurry, you could stay one night in Benxi and see them on separate days.
Pagoda of Buddhist Ashes
This tower, which was reportedly built around 1044 AD, houses the cremated remains of several high ranking Buddhist monks. The brick pagoda stands measures 13 meters in height, and is a quiet, interesting haven amidst the noise and chaos of the city.
This tower, which was reportedly built around 1044 AD, houses the cremated remains of several high ranking Buddhist monks. The brick pagoda stands measures 13 meters in height, and is a quiet, interesting haven amidst the noise and chaos of the city.
Location: The pagoda is a few km west of Beiling Park in Huanggu District (皇姑区) on Fen He Jie (汾河街). It is just north of the inner ring road (崇山西潞). Ask a taxi driver for “shèlì tǎ”, otherwise the following buses will drop you off a couple blocks south of the tower (Ta Wan 塔湾 bus stop): 202, 233, 125, 205, 209, 228, 242, 267, 283, 329, 329支
Useful bus routes to the pagoda:
202 from South train station
125 from WuAi Market
205,209 from North Train Station
228 from Government Square or Middle Street
242 from Beiling Park
283 from Tiexi Square (铁西广场)
329 from Bei Hang
Photos by Jerry Wang, 2007
Qipan Shan Scenic Area
Qipan Shan, literally “Chessboard Mountain,” is Shenyang’s most well-known outdoor scenic spot. The park consists of a beautiful lake, and three large hills which afford excellent views of the surrounding forest. In the winter Qipan Shan is home to the “Shenyan...
Qipan Shan, literally “Chessboard Mountain,” is Shenyang’s most well-known outdoor scenic spot. The park consists of a beautiful lake, and three large hills which afford excellent views of the surrounding forest. In the winter Qipan Shan is home to the “Shenyang Snow and Ice Festival”, which is similar to its more famous counterpart in Harbin. The festival features elaborate snow and ice sculptures, on-ice activities such as dog-sleds, skating, and downhill skiing. Construction has recently begun on an indoor skiing facility, meant to provide year-round downhill skiing. The facility is scheduled to open in 2008.
If you’re in Shenyang in the winter, you definitely do not want to skip Qipan Shan. Also, the area is a very pleasant destination to spend a day strolling around and enjoying some time away from the city in the summertime.
Location: Qipan Shan is about 80 minutes northeast of the city center by bus. A taxi there should cost around 100 yuan. Otherwise simply take the 168 bus (formerly 330) from Ma Lu Wan.
Magic Slope Scenic Area
The Magic Slope Scenic Area is one of the more unique, but ultimately unimpressive tourist sites around Shenyang. Its main attraction is a reverse gravity slope, on which cars and bicycles actually roll up the hill. The slope is slightly amusing, though certainly less than breathtakin...
The Magic Slope Scenic Area is one of the more unique, but ultimately unimpressive tourist sites around Shenyang. Its main attraction is a reverse gravity slope, on which cars and bicycles actually roll up the hill. The slope is slightly amusing, though certainly less than breathtaking. It’s only about 30 meters long, and at first glance it appears to be a flat surface. Upon closer inspection there is in fact a slight incline, which cars can coast up. One bicycle trip up and down the slope is included in the price of admission.
The compound also has a few other attractions. The most notable is a small wild animal park that has a handful of Manchurian tigers, a few lions, and some black bears. Chinese zoos generally do not have a good reputation with the foreign community on account of poor living conditions for the animals. This zoo is probably slightly above average. The lions and tigers enjoy very spacious accommodations, but the bear cage is a bit run-down and dirty. The baby animals are also unfortunately confined to rather small cages.
Aside from the zoo, there is the “Lying Dragon Monastery”, a Qing Dynasty Buddhist temple, a giant slide, a reptile garden, a monkey viewing area, and an “oddity exhibit”(怪馆 guài guǎn). The oddity exhibit claims to have abominations of nature including a “snake-turtle,” which is in fact a turtle with a long neck. Their pride and joy is a kitten placed in the same cage with a mouse. It’s supposed to be amazing that the animals don’t fight. What’s really amazing is that people will pay money to see it!
All in all, the Magic Slope area would be a colossal waste of time for visitors to Shenyang. For those living here however, it can be an inexpensive outing for a boring summer day. The area is surrounded by a very beautiful forest, and the park is built on a hill, which allows some nice views from the top. If nothing else, it’s still a nice excuse to get out of the crowded city.
Entry to the grounds costs 35 Yuan. The price of admission includes the magic slope, the tiger park, and the monastery. If you only want to see the slope, it costs 20 Yuan. The other attractions cost 10-15 Yuan each. There is also an average-priced restaurant where visitors can eat lunch after a hard morning of reverse gravitational pull.
To go to the Magic Slope by taxi will cost approximately 100 yuan, otherwise take the #4303 minibus from Shenyang City Orthopedic Hospital (骨科医院 gǔkē yīyuàn) located in Da Dong district (大东区) near the intersection of Dong Bei Da MaLu (东北大马路) and Bei Hai Jie (北海街).