It didn't surprise me that at 4 p.m. Friday, the Yonghegong Lama Temple in midtown Beijing was still busy and at least half of the visitors were foreign.

When visiting religious venues in China, remember it's difficult to define Chinese people's religious beliefs, but one thing is for sure: They are very pragmatic and worship all those who can bring them wealth and fortune (or more specific things such as good grades, promotion, lottery...anything you can think of). In order to be blessed, some people generously donate to temples, and others leave coins and change at every possible "auspicious spot." And, foreigners are following suite. When in Rome, do as the Romans do, I'm sure.

Apparently, a stone animal in the West Pavilion of the Lama Temple is considered one of these auspicious places. People were feeding it with money. The animal is believed to be one of the nine sons of the dragon, from Chinese folklore, and considering the pavilion was surrounded in fencing, people really had to make an effort to place their money in range of the beast.Photo taken by Nina Ying Sun

The ancient incense burner was clearly the target of flying coins, in spite of a bilingual sign on the side asking visitors not to throw incense and coins. Westerners were just as excited as the Chinese to try their luck. Photo taken by Nina Ying Sun

Photo taken by Nina Ying Sun

I was thinking, hey, people are just having some fun in the garden. No big deal.

Then, I stepped into the formal halls with the Buddha sculptures and service items from the Qing dynasty. Another sign advised not to use camera. You may think Chinese people are never good at abiding by rules, judging by how they drive. But they don't want to risk their fortune by disrespecting rules right underneath Buddha's nose. I watched a foreigner slip into the corner of the pretty dark room and quietly take a photo without flash. I'm not sure if the staffer lama not far away noticed that. But nothing was said. Chinese tourists who stood close to the foreign tourist just walked away as if nothing happened.

I could have told the lama on the prohibited use of the camera, but I was lost in my own thoughts at that moment. I was recalling a scene at the Shanghai Hongqiao Airport. At the jammed waiting hall for security check, a group of European tourists were pretty harsh with a Chinese woman who tried to cut in line. They spoke loud in English with thick accent, signaled the security and didn't want to listen to her explanation of being late for her flight. The security person let the woman go to the front of the line after checking her boarding pass, and then the group of Europeans booed him.

Nothing should be generalized or taken out of proportion here. All I can say is, Beijing is a melting pot and at the same time a clash of old and new, domestic and foreign, rich and poor, individualism and collectivism, values and rules, etc. There's never a dull moment.