To the point
In downtown Beijing, people living in hutong are treated to a game that gives them an insight into the past and into the amity between two peoples, Hou Chenchen reports.
By Hou Chenchen | China Daily | Updated: 2024-07-13 12:49
On a stroll down an alley in central Beijing a distinctive white cone slowly emerges on the horizon, towering above the brownish-red sea of traditional Chinese walls in which it stands.
For centuries this religious monument, a dagoba, part of the Miaoying Temple, has tantalized the eyes of those who come across it, whether they know anything about its meaning or not.
"Nihao," a young man, who turns out to be a Nepalese volunteer in the temple, shouts out cheerily. "Feel free to go inside the White Dagoba Temple and find out what's within."
Garbed in a daura suruwal, an exquisitely crafted traditional Nepalese suit consisting of a knee-length shirt and loose-fitting trousers, he brims with enthusiasm about the dagoba, intent on encouraging others to learn about this age-old emblem of friendship between two civilizations.
The Beijing White Dagoba Temple, being the biggest and the oldest Tibetan-style Buddhist dagoba in existence now in China, is a vibrant testament to cultural exchange and shared knowledge between China and Nepal. It was designed by the Nepalese architect Arniko at the behest of the founder of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) Kublai Khan in the late 13th century.
Inside, staff sit at desks in five main buildings of the dagoba, each station marking a pivotal moment in the monument's construction. At each station, visitors are encouraged to utter a certain phrase to a non-player character, underlining what they have learned, which is then rewarded with a literal stamp of approval.
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