Nestled between the bustling streets of Amsterdam’s historic centre, surrounded by tall, narrow traditional Dutch townhouses, lies the city’s peaceful He Hua Temple. Its name translates to ‘Lotusflower’ temple, a significant flower in the Chinese Buddhist religion. Aside from it’s floral connotation, the Chinese 荷 (He) is directly related to the Chinese word for ‘The Netherlands’, a word play connecting Dutch and Chinese cultures.

Although the exterior of the temple is intriguing and ornate in its many colourful, oriental-style details, the temple holds more than what meets the eye. Its interior is peaceful, the smell of incense greeting anyone who enters the Great Hall, the only space accessible to the general public. The temple’s hidden, unique structure comes from the city’s strict regulations regarding building heights, which are not allowed to exceed 30 meters above the ground. With one floor above the Great Hall, two of the most important rooms in the temple are hidden underground. The Jade Buddha Hall, which actively holds ceremonies and meditations, and the Dining Hall, where Buddhist members socialise over traiditonal means after prayer, are out of sight to the average passerby, even to those visiting the Great Hall. It is uncommon for Buddhist temples to be built underground, spiritually, He Hua’s exception making it one of the rarest of its kind.

Outside, the staircase leading up to the Great Hall makes the temple tower over its visitors. Due to the lack of mountains and natural elevation in the Dutch landscape, the staircase was built as a symbolic mountain, made to represent a physical distance between reality and the spiritual world. Many traditional Buddhist temples are almost always built on top of mountains, for spiritual and reclusive purposes. As one ascends the staircase, they exit the vibrant city streets towards ‘Enlightenment’.