Buddhist Temple in the Mountains of Yixing County, Jiangsu.
Though I don't see the larger population of China overly religious, they do appreciate and encourage the hundreds, if not thousands of temples, scattered in every small and large city and province of China. These Temple Compounds are great tourist attractions, though I don't wish to offend nor question the sincerety of the pilgrims, and the piety of the thousands monks and nuns, who make this their home. At times it becomes difficult to distinguish one Temple from the other, sorry. Their uniqueness is best appreciated during a personal walking-visit, and not from the exteriors of the structures.
For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. A... ... read more 
