As I strolled through the sleepy neighborhoods of Xicheng on this fine, sunny afternoon during Dragon Boat Festival, a tall smokestack viciously protruded in the area. Curious to discover the origins of this obtrusive funnel, I headed towards it. I already knew where this smokestack was located, and more importantly where it was located next to which made itself iconic, so upon viewing this smokestack it only confirmed my suspicions. But even then, could see this light grey industrial smokestack all the way from XIbianmen which initially caught my attention.
After strolling through the leafy neighbourhood streets, I crossed the Yongding Canal and approached the complex Taingningsi bridge interchange, in which the grey smokestack towered proudly over this section of low-height infrastructure.
After crossing under the bridge interchange and taking a left to go down a narrow street, passing by an elementary school was the fabled 天宁寺 (Tianning Temple).
Tianing Temple has a fascinating history, mostly due to the legendary 天宁寺塔 (Tianning Temple Tower/Spire). The tower itself is probably one of, if not the oldest standing structures in Beijing now, originally built during the 12th century before Beijing was even founded as a city. The temple first founded during the northern Liao and Jin Dynasties, serves as a defining relic of the
ancient city that predates Beijing’s founding which remains to be one of the remains of this old city situated to the immediate west of old Beijing. To say that the weight of history pushed its full force onto me would be an understatement. The gorgeous details on the sculpting on the side of the spire can be seen with depicting of Buddhas and deities which are still in quite pristine condition considering the amount of time that this structure stood susceptible to the elements as well as the Tangshan Earthquake in 1976. The base of the spire is incredible in its own right with miniature versions of buddhas and deities with precise stone carving and pattern detailing. Since the tower is located within a temple, there is a common ritual for all visitors to walk clockwise around the tower which for tourists and enthusiasts like me, only offered me more angles to capture this majestic piece of Beijing’s history.
Even with all the fanfare, the elephant in the room still has to be addressed. It was the aforementioned smokestack that led me to this ancient piece of Beijing history. The smokestack belonged to a defunct industrial complex manufacturing meal parts, now revamped into a millennial commercial compound. It is quite odd yet so metaphorical to see both the smokestack and the spire in one image. The Old vs. The New, The Past vs. The Present, The Modern vs. The Archaic, The Industrial vs. The Religious. The juxtaposition between the funnel and the tower can be interpreted as an allegory to Beijing’s rapid development post-founding of the People’s Republic. This encouraged the constructing of hundreds of low-density apartments along with massive industrial complexes simultaneously, creating a common acceptance of industrial areas in densely populated areas and shaping a power struggle dynamic between old Beijing and industrial workplaces. This is no different in this area and the stark contrast between the temple and the industrial complex is only one area in Beijing where this divide can be clearly observed. This aspect of Tianning Temple only makes exploring this area even more exciting.
{ Credits }
Writing: Arthur Vadnjal
Editing: Margaret Yang
Photography: Arthur Vadnjal
Formatting: Margaret Yang
Posted By: Margaret Yang
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