Qing Yang Gong Green Ram Temple 青羊宫

Qing Yang Gong Green Ram Temple 青羊宫

Five yuan will gain you entrance to the Palace of the Green Lamb. Actually, though, there are two of them, and they aren’t very green, more of a bronze/brown. Truth be told, they are hardly lambs. Of the two, the one horned lamb is the more significant. This fella made its way to Chengdu from a Beijing curio market in 1723, and though its shape is that of a lamb, if you take a closer look, you’ll notice it’s got some funny features. He embodies all of the animals of the Chinese zodiac. Your challenge: To find them. The answers are beside the lamb itself, but no-o-o-o cheating. Qing Yang Gong is more than a home to some bronze statues. In fact, it’s the oldest temple in Chengdu, surviving numerous calamities throughout its history. It also holds the honor as one of the most important Daoist temples in China. Legend has it that the venerable Laozi, founder of Daoism, once graced The Palace of the Green Lambs and is cited as saying, “Practice the Dao for a thousand years, and you may find me again at Qing Yang Gong.” Inside the temple you’ll find a teahouse, a satisfactory vegetarian restaurant, and ample space to walk, sit and relax. You’ll also assuredly see a few people rubbing various parts of the lambs’ bodies. This practice stems from an old myth that rubbing the corresponding place on the statues when sick will make you better. Qing Yang is definitely worth a visit. It’s located on West Section 2 of the First Ring Road along the Jinjiang River. Not too far to the west, you’ll find the antique market and Dufu’s Cottage, so you can do a little shopping while you’re out this way.

Address: 9 West Section 2, Ring 1st Rd.

一环路西二段9号

Time: 8am – 6pm

Tel.: 87766584, 87763961

Admission fee: 10RMB,  Student:5RMB (cash only)