More and more travelers now put Asia’s temples on their “must-experience” list—not just to admire the buildings, but to step inside and spin prayer wheels, shake fortune sticks, drop coins into copper bowls, or receive a white string bracelet. These are moments you can experience only on-site, impossible to copy anywhere else. Which brings us to the question: at 6 top temples in China and Thailand, what can you see and do at each one?
🇹🇭 Thailand
Bangkok Wat Pho · A historic temple with three layers of blessings
📍 Address: 2 Sanam Chai Rd, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok
🪙 Blessing experience: Drop a coin in 108 copper bowls
Redeem a handful of coins, then walk along the Reclining Buddha hall, placing one coin in each of the 108 copper bowls. The steady clinking follows you from start to finish; every bowl represents one of the Buddha’s auspicious qualities, turning the walk into a moving meditation.
✨ Highlights: The 46 m gold-plated Reclining Buddha lies almost within arm’s reach, its serene nirvana pose truly awe-inspiring. After paying your respects, visit the temple’s massage school for an authentic Thai massage—Wat Pho is the birthplace of Thai massage, a one-of-a-kind combination you won’t find anywhere else.
Chiang Mai Wat Phra That Doi Suthep · A blessing earned after the climb
📍 Address: Doi Suthep Mountain, Suthep, Mueang Chiang Mai
🪷 Blessing experience: Sai Sin white-string blessing
Seek out a senior monk offering blessings. Kneel, receive a sprinkling of holy water to cleanse your aura, then have a consecrated white cotton thread tied around your wrist. The string symbolizes protection and good fortune and should be left to fall off naturally—never cut it.
✨ Highlights: Reach the temple only after conquering 306 steps guarded by intricately carved seven-headed Naga serpents—the climb itself is an act of devotion. The golden chedi atop the mountain enshrines a Buddha relic. Circle it three times, ring the blessing bell, and hear its echo drift over the city of Chiang Mai far below.
🇨🇳 China
Hangzhou Lingyin Temple · Fortune sticks, divination, and sutra copying—the full Mahayana experience
📍 Address: No. 1 Lingyin Rd, Xihu District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang
📜 Blessing experience: Drawing fortune sticks & sutra copying
In the Hall of Five Hundred Arhats, shake the bamboo cylinder, draw a fortune stick, and read its guidance—an oracle practice unique to Chinese Buddhism and rarely seen elsewhere. At the Zhizhi Hall’s scripture room, copy the Heart Sutra with a brush in complete silence to calm the mind; no Chinese skills required.
✨ Highlights: Nearly 1,700 years of history. Pray for wealth and protection from ill fortune in the Garbha Hall, light a lamp for your wishes in the Medicine Buddha Hall, and admire the millennium-old Buddhist grotto carvings on Feilai Peak—all in one densely packed visit.
Chengdu Wenshu Monastery · The best starter spot for Han Buddhist rituals
📍 Address: No. 66 Wenshuyuan Rd, Qingyang District, Chengdu, Sichuan
🍵 Blessing experience: Sutra copying + Chinese tea culture
At Xiangyuan Fuhui Hall, copy scriptures with a calligraphy brush while sipping traditional gaiwan tea—the perfect introduction to Eastern mindfulness. In the Wenshu Pavilion, pay homage to Manjushri, the bodhisattva of wisdom, and pray for success in studies, exams, and creative breakthroughs.
✨ Highlights: Free entry, subway at the doorstep, open year-round—one of the most visitor-friendly temples in China, welcoming travelers of every background.
Beijing Yonghe Temple (Lama Temple) · Tibetan Buddhism meets imperial majesty
📍 Address: No. 12 Yonghegong St, Dongcheng District, Beijing
🔁 Blessing experience: Spin prayer wheels + toss coins into the Treasure Basin
In the Hall of the Wheel of Dharma, turn the prayer wheels clockwise; in Tibetan Buddhism, each spin equals reciting all the sutras inside—an effortless yet powerful way to pray. Outside stands the “Treasure Basin,” once the imperial baby-bath of Emperor Qianlong. Drop in a coin to invite wealth and career success.
✨ Highlights: Inside the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Happinesses rises an 18 m sandalwood statue of the Maitreya Buddha, listed by Guinness World Records in 1990 as the world’s largest single-wood carving. The blend of royal history and sacred serenity is simply unmatched.
Songzanlin Monastery, Yunnan · A “Mini Potala Palace” on the plateau
📍 Address: Jiantangzhen, Shangri-La, Diqing, Yunnan
🔆 Blessing experience: Corridor of prayer wheels + butter-lamp offerings
Walk clockwise along the golden prayer wheel corridor encircling the monastery, each spin glittering under the high-altitude sun. Inside the main hall, hundreds of yak-butter lamps burn day and night; add your own butter to a lamp and make a wish—surrounded by flickering light, statues, and fragrant incense, all five senses are immersed.
✨ Highlights: Perched at 3,380 m and modeled after Lhasa’s Potala Palace, this “Little Potala” was founded in 1679 on a site chosen and named by the 5th Dalai Lama. Azure skies, gilded roofs, and snow-capped peaks make the journey here well worth it.
Different rituals, one shared hope for a better life—these six Asian temples each deserve to be experienced in person at least once.