Gudesi Temple(古德寺)A church temple in Wuhan

A month before Covid-19 hit Wuhan, I had a chance to visit the Gudesi temple in Gongnongbing, Hankou road. The building is like a church, but I saw some monks, when I was inside, I was a little confused, I was in a church or temple. But a building has no religion even though its shape represents a religion. There are actually many temples in China, but I think this is the most unique one I have ever visited and seen. I think this building grabs my attention more than the Forbidden City. Believe it or not, many local residents don't really know this unique building. And I feel lucky to find out about the building which is located at 29 Gong Nong Bing Lu, Jiang'an District, Wuhan, Hubei, China.

This building is like a hidden gem, at first glance this temple looks like a European church, this temple was once a church, then it was converted into a temple. Built in 1877 during the Qing Dynasty, the center of this temple is the Yuantong Temple, which uses an ancient Roman architectural structure, circular corridors between the inner and outer walls and many squares. The charm of Greek temples is vague. Round windows and long windows on the walls are the architectural styles of the Christian Church. Its nine pagodas are like wind vanes and crosses. The Gudesi Temple combines the religious features of buildings in Europe and Asia, and integrates the three main schools of Mahayana Buddhism, Mahayana, and Tibetan Buddhism. It is the only of the two Buddhist structures of this style in the world.