| Zhenguo
Temple
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| KoreaMosaic
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All
photos on this page © 2010 John Holstein |
| Zhenguo Temple was built in 963. Though it was renovated in 1816, one gets the feeling of the temple's original antiquity. It's located about 10 kilometers to the north of Piangyao. One of my favorite temples in China. | |
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| When I visited this temple in June, this hall housed several statutes that looked at first glance like mummies. A closer look showed that they were simply ancient terracotta statues whose paint and outer skin and fingers had mostly fallen away, with bundled rice stalks showing through as the statute's frame. The temple didn't throw them out because it was saving the revered spirits in the statues. In Taiyuan the next day,tragedy struck: my photo cards were stolen and with them was lost my record of the fantastic mummy statues. I returned to Pingyao in September mainly to photo the venerable structures of dust again for posterity--I doubt that photos of the spooky wonders can be found anywhere else. But I found to my dismay that experts were restoriing the statues and there was no trace of their former selves. At least the restorers let me take photos of their work. | |
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Eewww,
do you have to rub so hard? |
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Another
one ready for restoration. |
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Learn
more about this temple at this
site. |
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