Qingyang Temple + Insomnia Struggles

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Over Chinese New Year we went to the local Taoist temple. It was interesting to say the least! Outside of the temple, people had their fortunes told, and beggars lay on the sidewalk with missing limbs.

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Trenton referred to these statues as dragons, but I thought they looked more like lions. They look terrifying because they are supposed to scare the evil spirits away from the temple.

Qingyang Temple

Qingyang Temple

The temple was much bigger than I thought! There were actually multiple temples, each separated by courtyards with pagodas. Inside the temples, were these shrines.

Qingyang Temple

People would bow to the shrines, leave food offerings for them, and sometimes donate money into a box sitting in the front.

Qingyang Temple

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On the outskirts of the temple grounds were little gardens with colorful, blooming flowers.

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Visitors would rub these structures for good luck!

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As you can see on the right, people would light incense candles and stick them in the troughs, followed by a pr-yer to the shrines.

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Below is the Chinese Zodiac Symbol. Elderly folks would pause thoughtfully in front of it, while younger folks stopped to take a picture with it. Each of these symbols signifies an animal. This year is the year of the dog!

Qinyang Temple Zodiac Sign, Chengdu China

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Qingyang Temple

Qingyang Temple

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Qingyang Temple

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The temple was full of all sorts of people. We tried to talk to some, but couldn’t find any other English speakers. Needless to say, I don’t think I want to go back anytime soon!

On another note, I have not been able to sleep at night! Ever since I came to China, I just can never fall asleep. It is so awful, because then during the day I am soooo tired and have low motivation. I have tried literally everything to get myself to fall asleep! I work out in the day, I drink milk before bed, but it’s still such a struggle. So I’m basically a walking zombie! And then I start to crash around 5… but then I push through, and get a second wind around 10..and then the cycle repeats. Have you ever suffered from insomnia?! I do eventually fall asleep around 4 or 5 but then I get up at 7… so not fun! I’m thinking maybe my body is just refusing to adjust to my new time zone. I’ve talked to a few other expats and some of them have said the same thing, that they haven’t been able to have a good sleep since they came here.

Anyways, tomorrow Trenton and I head to Hong Kong! I’m soooo excited. We have an exciting itinerary planned so we’ll see how it goes…

Have you ever been to Hong Kong before? Or have you ever had insomnia?! Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

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Hey ya'll! I'm Courtney, and I'm a Florida-born gal learning to live in East Asia. You can find travel tips, fashion inspo, and my daily adventures right here on my blog. My hope is that this blog will help inspire you to live your best life! Make sure to check out my book, The Smart Girl's Guide to Surviving Her Twenties, for more tips on how to survive, and thrive, throughout the most transformative decade of your life.

32 thoughts on “Qingyang Temple + Insomnia Struggles”

  2. I love how rich China’s culture is and you can definitely tell by all the artistic and architechural elements seen at the temple. Even though it sucks that no one around spoke English, that also meant this wasn’t a typical touristy spot that gets a bunch of foreigners flooding the place. In my opinion, that’s a good thing. Some touristy spots lose it’s authenticity and become just a huge advertisement spot with overpriced souvenirs. I think it’s great to immerse yourself in another country’s culture because that’s when you get to see what it’s truly about.

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  8. Whoa, stunning photos! Your hair looks lovely and the bright red pants are such a contrast to the background scenery (: I experienced pretty bad insomnia for almost a whole month a few years ago. I still don’t know what caused it but I would fall asleep with a lot of struggle and then couldn’t help but wake up an hour or two later without being able to go back to sleep…

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  9. Something that helps me when I struggle to fall asleep is use melatonin supplements. Melatonin is something that naturally occurs in our brain that helps us fall asleep. I use the melatonin to help me try to work on a sleep schedule. I go to sleep early, get up early, and then hopefully feel more tired towards the end of the day.

    Beautiful photos. I bet those gardens would look lovely in spring! 🙂

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      1. Yep. You can not take it every single day, though it is meant to be non addictive, but I mean when we start to rely on something it’s an addiction. But you can take it at least three times a week. The bottle will let you know. 🙂 You may to research it as well if you want. When my husband was serving a year in South Korea, he finally asked me what it was that helped me sleep when I couldn’t haha. It helped him too. He was doing 12 hour shifts and was struggling to fall asleep.

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  17. Hi Courtney and thanks for sharing great pictures of such beautiful temples! Always interesting to discover something new … I’ve never been to China; only to some Chinatown places in big cities but I assume it’s still very different! Regarding insomnia yes I know what it is … I try to think positively, stay calm and at the end I’m able to sleep 😉 Good luck and have lot’s of fun in HK!

    https://4highheelsfans.wordpress.com/2018/03/05/transition/

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