Pekin, Świątynia Białego Obłoku / Beijing, White Cloud Temple

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Świątynia Białego Obłoku (chin. upr. 白云观) – świątynia taoistyczna. Początki świątyni sięgają czasów dynastii Tang. Wybudowana w 739 roku, nosiła wówczas nazwę Tianchang. Wewnątrz znajdował się posąg Laozi. Spłonęła w 1206 roku. Po zajęciu Chin przez Mongołów odbudowana w 1224 roku z rozkazu Czyngis-chana. Zgodnie z przekazami mistrz Qiu Chuji z rozkazu mongolskiego władcy miał zostać przywódcą wszystkich taoistów w Chinach i rezydować w tej świątyni. Swoją obecną nazwę nosi od czasów dynastii Ming. Przechodziła trzykrotną przebudowę: w 1706, 1714 i 1886 roku. Zdewastowana w okresie rewolucji kulturalnej, kiedy odgrywała rolę koszar. Odrestaurowana, obecnie ponownie pełni funkcje kultowe. Użytkowana przez Chińskie Towarzystwo Taoistyczne, którego jest siedzibą. Obecnie mieszka w niej 30 mnichów.

The White Cloud Temple or the Monastery of the White Clouds (simplified Chinese: 白云观; literally "White Cloud See") is a Daoist temple. It is one of "The Three Great Ancestral Courts" of the Complete Perfection School of Taoism, and is titled "The First Temple under Heaven".The White Cloud Temple was first founded in the mid-8th century during the Tang Dynasty, and was initially called Tianchang Abbey (Abbey of Celestial Perpetuity). During this period, the abbey was state sponsored and staffed by an elite clergy. From 1125-1215 when what is now Beijing was controlled by the Jin Dynasty, the abbey served as the Daoist administrative headquarters and played an important role in state ceremonies. In 1148, the abbey was taken over by the Quanzhen patriarch Qiu Chuji, and became the headquarters of the Quanzhen movement until the establishment of the Ming Dynasty. He renamed the abbey Changchun Gong (Palace of Eternal Spring). In October 1222, he gave his exposition of Taoism to Genghis Khan having travelled since 1219 from Shangtung on being invited to come and visit. Qiu’s successor Yin Zhiping (1169-1251) built a memorial shrine over Qiu’s grave. This shrine became a temple in its own right called Baiyun Guan. The abbey was damaged when the Mongols took over in the late 13th century, and during Ming times the Changchun Gong disappeared. However, Baiyun Guan survived and took over the functions of Changchun Gong. During the Ming, monks from the Zhengyi school took over operations of the abbey, but continued Quanzhen traditions and ordination ceremonies. Zhengyi control over the temple continued until the 17th century, when their monopoly ended and the Quanzhen master Wang Changyue (?-1680) took over. To this day, White Cloud Temple remains Quanzhen controlled.During the 20th century, the abbey was without an abbot for the 1940s, and was closed when the communists came to power in 1949. Unlike many other historical sites which were damaged during the Cultural Revolution, Baiyun Abbey was well-protected and remained safe. Today is again a fully functioning temple and is the seat of the Chinese Taoist Association.