Welcome!


This homepage contains materials related to my current project: to visit 142 Key Buddhist Temples located all over the traditionally Han area of mainland China (where I currently live), found in a list compiled by the Beijing government back in 1983.

To find out more about the temples themselves, start at "Temples"; to learn about what you'll see in Chinese temples, try "Features"; to see how you can join me in this undertaking, read "Participate!"; and to keep up on the latest happenings, follow  the Blog, or feel free to Contact me.

And to find out "how it all began," read "The Pilgrim."
See below for a full menu, with notes.
Picture
Great Wild Goose Tower, Xi'an, where the monk Xuanzang ended his pilgrimage to India

The Tally (to date)

Here are my "stats" as of September 2012:

The 142 Key Temples
Temples visited: 132
Percentage: 93%
Provinces* visited: 23
Cities visited: over 88

All Buddhist Temples in China
Temples (and similar sites+) visited: around 247^

For a visual representation of where I've been (and province-by-province stats) see a map of provinces visited.

*Four of China's municipalities (Beijing, Tianjian, Shanghai, and Chongqing) are considered to be "provinces" as well. These are listed as both provinces and cities here. For more on the actual places I've been, see the list of temples by location.

^I may have missed a few when counting

+ I have included caves, solitary pagodas, and other identifiable Buddhist sites as "temples" in this count; see the site descriptions for details.

A Guide to the Site

  • Home: You are here!
  • Temples: A list of temples and other sites visited
  • --Locations: The same as the "Temples" list, but by province
  • --Map of Provinces Visited: A map and chart of my progress
  • Galleries: Links to password-protected pages of pictures
  • A Pilgrim's Progress: A narrative of my trips
  • Features: The things you'll see in temples, being:
  • --Structures: Buildings, ponds, etc.
  • --Statues: The Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Kings and Generals, Arhats, and Historical Figures depicted in temples
  • --Symbols: Decorations on walls and elsewhere with symbolic meaning
  • The Pilgrim: A little about myself
  • Participate: How you can help with the Pilgrimage
  • Blog: Detailed accounts of (some of) my journeys
  • Contact: A form for you to reach me
  • Password Info: How to get access to the Galleries and other password-protected info
  • Forum: A "Members Only" place to discuss temples and how to see them