Kaifu Temple, Changsha – China

Kaifu Temple, Changsha

It’s astonishing to think that for nearly one and a half millennia monks have gathered in the gorgeous pavilions and corridors of what is Changsha’s largest Buddhist temple. It is truly ancient – with a history going back to the Song Dynasty; older than Zen Buddhism – which was born from the Chan meditative school practiced at Kaifu and temples like it around China. There is some exquisite wood carving on the main temple pavilions – flying cranes,  scenes from daily life in ancient China and gorgeous filigree-fine lattice windows. The temple is also strikingly contemporary. Be sure to visit the modern Buddhist centre, which has some wonderful works of sacred art – including ancient ceramic buddhas surrounded by niches of candlelit lotus flowers, a chandelier sculpture made from hundreds of illuminated beads.