(1) Shanhua Temple in Datong is not one of the 142 on my list, but an ancient and exquisite temple nonetheless. And since it was only 10 minutes from my hotel on foot, I couldn't not go! There's a large plaza in front of Shanhua Temple, with another screen wall.
(2) This one with only five dragons. Screen walls are hard to shoot, as they virtually always face north. (Temples and palaces usually face south, so...)
(3) There's no Laughing Buddha in the Heavenly Kings' Gate, and the Weituo is in the back of the next hall, but the kings were pretty good.
(4) This Buddha is "OK!" He's Amitabha, in a "Three Sages" Hall.
(5) This figure and one very much like it flank the Buddha above (out of shot on either side), so this is either Guanyin or Dashizi, as the figures are almost identical (but gorgeous nonetheless).
(6) A shot of the rafters; the halls are as attractive as the statues here.
(7) Flanking the courtyard between the Three Sages and the Buddha Hall are two tower-like halls. The one on the left is dedicated to Puxian Bodhisattva.
(8) Here's Puxian inside the hall, on his elephant.
(9) And the one on the right is for Wenshu Bodhisattva. I've seen this set-up at a few temples in the area now.
(10) The Buddha Hall, like the ones at Shang Huayan Si and the Wooden Pagoda, features the Buddhas of the Five Directions.
(11) Here is the center one (Vairochana, my personal Buddha).
(12) And, as at the other temples I've seen in the area, the Buddhas are flanked by an assemblage of gods (or "dharma kings").
(13) To the west of the main compound is a garden, reflective of the idea of the "Western Pure Land." Beyond the garden you can see the new city wall (south side).
(14) The garden is so new that this pool is not even filled all the way up yet.
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Last Updated August 21, 2019
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