(1) This is not my target temple! (See below for that.) While walking around in the gloaming the night before, I passed this gateway to the a huge Taoist temple (called simply "Nanyue Miao" or Southern Peak Taoist Temple) at the base of Hengshan (also called Nanyue, the southernmost sacred mountain of Taoism in China).
This morning's Buddhist temple is located virtually next door, so I stopped and shot the front gate on my stroll over to the temple last night. I also found a great dinner.
(2) Not far from that gate was the good veg restaurant where I ate. I thought the columns inside the place were really cool, so I shot one.
(3) As I neared Zhusheng Temple, I started noticing carvers' shops. I stopped to shoot this Guanyin last night.
(4) More carvers were opened this morning, and I was able to find a statue with a price tag: Only 30,000rmb (less than $4,300US) for this amazing 1000-armed Guanyin. I don't know if that price is "finished" or "as is"; no one was around to answer questions.
(5) Detail of that Guanyin's head(s). I don't think I've ever seen a Tibetan touch to a more-or-less standard Guanyin.
(6) Here, at last, is the front gate of Zhusheng Temple.
(7) Just inside the gate, there are steps up to a sort of courtyard in front of the Heavenly Kings' Hall, heavily shaded by ancient trees.
(8) Here is one of those trees. Although there's no doubt of the ancientness of the temples in this area, many of the buildings are very new. In front of Nanyue Miao, I saw ample evidence of a fairly recent cycle of destruction and repair; I imagine this temple suffered as well.
(9) The small courtyard in front of the Buddha Hall
(10) The "usual three" Buddhas in the Buddha Hall: Amitabha, Shakyamuni, and the Medicine Buddha (left to right). There was also a small hall (behind the tree in the previous picture) with the Huayan Triad--Samathabhadra, Shakyamuni, and Manjushri--who are also often featured in main halls.
(11) The Guanyin behind the main altar is in her own little cave.
(12) The courtyard between the Buddha Hall and the Dharma Hall is completely taken up by this "beautiful" fountain.
(13) Behind and to the right of the Dharma Hall is a hall dedicated to the Medicine Buddha. On either side of the hall are cases containing the twelve "year guardians."
(14) Behind and to the left of the Dharma Hall is a "Lohan Hall." There's a "Laughing Buddha" in the center, and then the walls are festooned with 250 plaques, each bearing the image of 2 of the 500 arhats. If I had a few days, I'd document these thoroughly. They look old, and would make a really interesting study.
+ + + + + + + +
A taxi to the train station; a 90 minute wait; and I'm on my way to Guangzhou South Station (as I write this), where I'll change to another high-speed train for Shenzhen and home.
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Last Updated August 20, 2019
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