The Puning Temple, one of the 8 outer temples in Chengde, also inscribed in the World Heritage List. Photo taken on 9/7. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com/Charlie Cheng]

Although Chengde is famous for the Chengde Mountain Resort, the 8 outer temples are also worth going to experience the history of Qing Dynasty. I am very glad that I can travel to the Puning Temple and the Temple of Potalaka on my last day in Chengde.

The 8 outer temples, including the Puning Temple and the Temple of Potalaka, are all temples of Tibetan Buddhism. All of them were built successively between 1713 and 1780. The purpose of building Tibetan Buddhist temples is to unify the ethnic minority people near the border of China.

The first temple I visited is the Puning Temple, which is located in the northeast part of the Mountain Resort. The Puning Temple, which means world peace in Chinese, represents the hopes of Qing Dynasty's Emperor Qianlong after putting down the rebellion of Dzungar's Davatsi and Amursana Tribes. The temple is also known as Big Buddha Temple since the world's largest wooden statue Thousand-hand Bodhisattva is enshrined in it. Many people come to here for the amazingly huge Buddhist statue there.

Despite the fact that I have no religious belief, I am very happy to look at such a large and beautiful wooden statue. The statue is about 27.1 meters high, more than 16 times my height. I suddenly feel so tiny in front of the large wooden statue. In this circumstance, it reminds me that I am so insignificant in the universe. I should always remain humble and respectful to everything.

Next, I went to the temple of Potalaka, which is the largest temple among the 8 outer temples in Chengde. The temple is a successful imitation of Potala Palace in Tibet, so it is also called "small Potala Palace". Potala means the abode where Bodhisattva preaches to the public about dharma in Chinese. The main building of the temple is the Great Red Platform, which is located at the top of the mountain. The hall of the Buddhist Doctrine Unifying, which is dedicated to Sakyamuni Buddha, is situated in the center of the platform.

Even though I have not been to Tibet, the temple of Potalaka already shows its magnificence. The rooftop of the Hall of the Buddhist Doctrine Unifying has used thousands kilograms of gold, reflecting the importance of the minority people to Qing Dynasty. By visiting the temples, I can learn about the religion as well as the history as well.

I had never felt so spiritual and refreshing prior to the visit as I have always stayed in a major city. This is a precious chance for me to get away from the urban life and indulge myself in religion and history.