What exactly is Tao ? And what is the difference between philosophical Taoism and religious Taoism? What are the deities of Tao, which are ubiquitous in Chinese folklore and everyday life?

CCC's back-street-Beijing walking tour will demystify White Cloud Temple, the oldest Taoist site in Beijing. It serves as an active place of worship, an ancestral shrine, a reliquary, and as headquarters for the Chinese Taoism Association.

The we visit the thousand-year old brick pagoda of Tianning Si Temple, which houses a beautiful Buddhist pagoda built during the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-543). This thirteen story tall, octagonal-based Chinese pagoda is made of brick and stone, yet imitates the design of wooden-constructed pagodas from the era by featuring ornamental dougong (bracket supports). Wonderful relief sculptures adorn the four sides of the first storey above layers of massive lotus petals that support the 13 tiers of eves that make this a great example of Liao architecture.

This expert-guided walk will be 3 hours and conducted in English.