Day By Day

Friday, June 24, 2011

Return to China -- Part 18, Huating Temple near Kunming

Our visit to the Huating Temple was a real treat for me. The site is simply gorgeous and I was able to give my camera a real workout as we wandered around the grounds. Originally the site was used as the vacation residence for a provincial ruler, about 900 years ago, but it was converted into a temple during the Yuan Dynasty [about 700 years ago]. Since then it has been rebuilt and restored several times, most recently in 1923.


We walked along this wall and entered the complex by a side gate.


And were greeted by a familiar sight -- people playing cards in public.


The grounds are beautiful and irenic, a wonderful place to spend a lovely Spring day.


The goldfish thought I was there to feed them. At least, I think that's what was on their minds. 


A turtle suns itself on lotus leaves. 


Three turtles and a frog.

Eventually we headed for the main temple.


When we left the outer grounds and entered the temples, the mood changed dramatically. These figures are meant to represent "devas" [demigods] who guard the temple. They certainly are fierce.





I noticed that the fierce, violent devas are portrayed as black-skinned, while the light skinned devas are peaceful and display a love of music. I wonder what the NAACP would say about that.

 


Inside the temples. I had started taking pictures when an elderly woman came up to me and signaled that photography inside the holy places was forbidden. I stopped, but didn't erase the images I already had.

Outside the temples it was quite another story -- there was no objection to photography and there was so much to shoot.


Lovely gardens,


Interesting architectural detail,


More architectural details,


Doors and colonnades,


Brilliant colors,


Moon gates. I avoided taking pictures of the monks going about their business. This guy stepped into the picture just as I snapped the shutter. 


Religious texts, at least that's what I think they are.


Even the benches on which we rested made for interesting pictures,


More details,


more,


more,


Candles at a shrine,


There was more, much more, but eventually we had to get back on the bus and head for our next destination.

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