at the Buddhist temple in 5 Springs Park

Our guide told us that most people in Lanzhou are Taoist, but there are also many Buddhists, and also many Muslim people, even some Christians. She said that many times younger people under 35 don't practice any religion, but when they get older they can choose whatever religion they want. She said that there are 40 ethnic and religious groups in the Lanzhou area, and they usually all get along very well. While we were out today, we heard the Muslim call to prayer several times.

The picture is of the Buddha of the temple. Our guide told us that different temples have different Buddhas. While we were there, a man (maybe a monk, I don't know - our guide said that he was a professional pray-er!) took Richard to the center of the courtyard and taught him how to light the incense (always 3 sticks), how to hold it, and to bow 3 times to each of the 4 directions. Then you put the incense into the altar in the middle and say your prayer or make a wish. I didn't take any pictures because I didn't want to be disrespectful to their religion. There are small incense sticks available for free, but you can also buy huge ones that look like fireworks! The incense smelled good.