The Tianjin Buddhist temple.

Temples are some of the few surviving historical buildings left in China, the rest have mostly been demolished in favour of modern high rise tower blocks or skyscrapers. This is something we must attest to China's rapid development and perhaps a detriment to historical preservation.

The architecture of the Chinese temples are quite similar, and they are usually built for thee worship of Buddhism, Taoism or Shenism.

I visit a Buddhist temple in Tianjin as part of my visit to this part of China. Although most of China is no longer religious, the religion which has shaped most of Chinese culture has to be Buddhism.

It's interesting walking into this particular temple because it is actually quite small. As usual, it is symmetrical with two mini towers either side the main shrine, and at the centre there is an incense burner.

The trees are blossoming at this time of year and they make for a beautiful subject in an otherwise very tranquil setting.

Typical of Chinese temples, you will walk into the complex with shrine after shrine. The first one being the smaller one, and the last one being the bigger. Each has a court yard and symmetrical towers with the incense burner.

This next courtyard the shrine is actually quite big, but it's still got the same basic design as the one before it.

Reaching the end of the gauntlet, I needed something to top up my energy for the day. Thank god I had an apple with me!