Putuo Shan sights

As with the other areas of China that we traveled in there is an abundance of temples to see. The pictures are highlights from our travels.
Top Right: Metal bell
Top Left: Fish
Center: Characters carved in stone.
Bottom Right: Detail of characters carved in stone. Hai Tian Fo Guo
Hai means "sea", Tian mean "heaven", Fo means "Buddha", and Guo means "Country".
Bottom Left: Dragon wall

Putuo Shan

Putuo Shan is known as the place of enlightenment for the Bodhisattva Guan Yin. It is a small island in Zhejiang Province whose main industries are tourism and fishing.

Top: Scenic Island views

Bottom Right: Temple.

Bottom Left: Detail of stonework window at a temple.

Jiuhua Shan Temples Scenes

Top Right: Jiuhua shan mountain views.

Top Left: Relief of Buddha images.

Center: Detail.

Bottom Right: More views.

Bottom Left: Tomorrow's destination on another peak.

Jiuhua Shan - Abundant Clouds

There are many beautiful temples and things to see in Jiuhua Shan.

Top Right: Characters reading "Abundant Clouds". On the right side in smaller characters it says that this was written in the 57th year of the Emperor Kangxi (1711AD).

Top left: Hannah Czehatowski, Mark Van Loan (cowboy hat) and guide Wu Han walking to a temple. Wu Han, by the way, told us that if any monkeys come and bother us on the trail that he would take care of them. He said "they know the locals" and leave them alone.

Bottom Right: This is the temple on the mountain top that was seen in the picture two entries before (it's next to and above the turtle pictures).

Bottom Left: Detail

Jiuhua Shan Temples

After visiting the main temple in Jiuhua Shan we walked through a side street and onto other temples.

Top Right: Side street in Jiuhua Shan. You can hear water run through the drainage under the stone payment.

Top Left: Jiuhua Shan Temple.

Middle: Detail of stonework on the temple.

Bottom Right: Closeup of ornate columns.

Bottom Left: Stonework in front of the temple.

More of Emei Shan

We headed down the mountain in the bus full speed. At least that's what it seemed like to us. We were hanging on pretty tight. To the driver I think it was just another day on the job. The driver's wife sat in the front seat and their little boy sat on the motor cover between them. As we headed into curves full speed and braked heavily the boy would slide back and forth or sideways depending on which way we were turning. There wasn't much for him to hang onto and I think it was fun for him. The mother finally grabbed him though and had him sit on her lap until they got off the bus at one of the stops.

We made another temple stop. While waiting to get tickets we were observing the activity below us when a donkey came walking, by itself, up the road. It was loaded down with two heavy baskets of bricks. Apparently it knew where it was going. A lady finally came running up to catch it and continued in the same direction with it.

There's always steps going up to mountain temples and our legs were developing calves of steel from all the uphill walking. The walk is always worth it though. The temples and the artwork is fascinating.

Top Right: Boy in the front of the bus.

Top Left: Donkey carrying bricks.

Middle: More Stairs - empty but they should have been packed with people. The May 12th earthquake really hurt the local tourist industry.

Bottom: Another Emei Shan temple

Up the Mountain on Chairlift

We then took a chairlift up the mountain to see more temples. Here are some pictures taken on the way up.

Top Right: A rock wall.

Top Left: An old man walking a trail.

Bottom Right: A temple.

Bottom left: A view of Wu Tai Shan from the summit. If you look just left of center you can see the white Stupa from previous pictures.

Temple Tour in Beijing

On May 26, 2008 My daughter, Hannah, and Chinese language group friend, Mark Van Loan, arrived in Beijing, PRC for a tour that would take us to China's four Buddhist Mountains and other areas of significant Buddhist art and places of worship. The trip was comparable to visiting the famous cathedrals of Europe or going to the Holy Lands where people travel to worship.

We were joined on our first day of our tour by my friend Wang Leyan and her husband Wu Cen. Leyan was my language partner when I studied Chinese language briefly at Beijing Language and Culture University (Beijing Yu Yan Wen Hua Da Xue) the summer of 1999. It was really special that they were able to join us for the day!

Our tour started in Beijing where we visited the Cudrania Pool Temple, Jietai Temple, the Miaoying (White Pagoda) Temple and the Lama Temple, the most renown Tibetan Buddhist temple in China and outside Tibet.

The layouts to Buddhist temples are all very similar. The first building contains the Guardians of the four directions. We learned that when you enter a Buddhist Temple men are supposed to step over the threshold with their left foot. Women step over with their right foot. Pictures are usually not allowed in temples and these pictures of the four guardians were the only pictures I was able to take inside a temple.

Top Right: (left to right) Wang Leyan, Hannah, Michel, Mark Van Loan, Wu Cen

Other pictures are of the Four Guardians