"Journey to the West"

This article was originally published on November 28, 2011, in the Shenzhen Daily.
The information was accurate at that time, and may be outdated now. Use with caution.

The friends from "Journey to the West" (at Mazu Temple, Nanshan)

Back in the Tang Dynasty, the Chinese monk Xuanzang (玄奘) made a solitary journey through the harsh western deserts all the way to India. In over 17 years, through more than 70 countries, he gathered sacred texts and artifacts to bring back to China. He thus became one of the most important figures in Chinese Buddhism.

Temples vs. Halls

This article was originally published on April 29, 2011, in the Shenzhen Daily.
The information was accurate at that time, and may be outdated now. Use with caution.

The Fang Ancestral Hall in Pingshan

Recently, some friends told me of a new "temple" in Xili's Pingshan Village, not far from the "New Guanyin Temple." I visited the site last week, only to discover that it was not a temple at all, but rather an ancestral hall for the local branch of the Fang family.

Tianhou Temples in Shenzhen

This article was originally published on March 18, 2011, in the Shenzhen Daily.
The information was accurate at that time, and may be outdated now. Use with caution.

Tianhou herself on the main altar, the Tianhou Temple at Houhai

One of Shenzhen's best-known temples is the Tianhou Temple in Chiwan. It is the only mainland Tianhou temple mentioned in Temples of the Empress of Heaven by Joseph Bosco and Puay-peng Ho, two professors at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. (The others are 17 temples in Hong Kong and 9 more in Taiwan.)

The Temple at Xili Lake

This article was originally published on May 27, 2011, in the Shenzhen Daily.
The information was accurate at that time, and may be outdated now. Use with caution.

The temple and tower at Xili Lake

I have lived in Xili off and on since 2004. And all that time, I have heard rumors of a temple in the park at Xili Lake.

Once, I even saw a Buddhist temple (named "Xi Hu Si"--West Lake Temple) on a map. But I could never find it.

Well, recently a friend explained that I needed to lower my sights a bit; the "temple" was just one hall, she said, off the main road, and near the tower called "Xili Ta."

So today, I found it!

Two Temples in Xili

This article was originally published on February 18, 2011, in the Shenzhen Daily.
The information was accurate at that time, and may be outdated now. Use with caution.

The fire-engine red New Guaynin Temple in Pingshan, Xili

Xili is a quiet-but-developing area now, but it has a few fairly old features, including the villages of Pingshan and Liuxian Dong, each of which features a small temple.

The Soil and Water Conservation Park

This article was originally published on December 10, 2010, in the Shenzhen Daily.
The information was accurate at that time, and may be outdated now. Use with caution.

Front gate of the Soil and Water Conservation Park

The wonders of Xili Lake's east side are well known, including the Zoo, or "Safari Park," and the venerable Xili Lake Resort. But there's a new kid on the west side of the lake, along Shahe Xi Lu. The Shenzhen Soil and Water Conservation Park is so new that on a recent weekday afternoon, my wife and I were two of only four visitors.

Runner's Paradises

This article was originally published on August 14, 2011, in the Shenzhen Daily.
The information was accurate at that time, and may be outdated now. Use with caution.

Click on the map for a larger view

Numerous friends have complained that the roads in Shenzhen aren't suitable for jogging or running (or even, sometimes, walking).

The solution? Try the parks. My wife has been running in Shenzhen for about a year now, and together we've compiled this list of prime running spots: