beijing okay

六手

On the top of 碧云宫

拍照片

Abandoned monastery

Pavilion on the foothills of 香山

The hall of arhats

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佛

Yesterday the girls and I went to 香山 (xiangshan, or "Fragrant mountain") and walked all over for most of the day. It was my first time there; surprisingly beautiful with loads of old Chinesey things and clean air and rolling hills. The highlight was 碧云宫 (biyungong, or "azure cloud temple") which is an early 18th century temple highlighting Buddha and the arhats, which are all in one building, life sized, cast from bronze and painted gold. The sculptures had incredibly refined and elegant faces, super expressive with some being a bit grotesque. They are a bit older than the temple itself, and most have been spared the terrible Chinese habit of slapping on generic semi-gloss house paint on old things. The temple complex is large with many buildings devoted to many gods, including a rather recent，(90 years old) rather circus-y portion that was strange and almost frightening with screaming gods and circular painted clouds. Really amazing painting, bright and garish. A highlight, for sure.