Tai'an is a destination city only for the fact that it rests at the base of the most sacr
ed of the five holy mountains in Taoism, Tai Shan. Tai'an (ty-an) just happens to be Mr. Li's hometown, and so we were treated to many of the best restaurants and cuisine. But our first stop in Tai'an was its mildly popular tem
ple, the Dai Temple. We were treated to an English-speaking guide, which still makes me think about what the Japanese teachers in our group felt about this. Nonetheless, the temple was vast, and it took us a good while to get through it. The temple rests in the center of town, and was/is the place that pilgrims gather before climbing Tai Shan. There were a lot of interesting parts about the temple, despite its apperance, which is falling into disrepair. For example, there's a big fresco inside one of the halls that depicts an emperor climbing up Tai Shan with a huge army to become the God of the mountain. Technically, one isn't supposed to take pictures here (the fresco is already peeling), but I figured what can a no-flash shot hurt? I got a snapshot of one of the most intriguing parts of the mural showing one of the emperor's men releasing a rainbow out of a large pot. It could quite possibly be the oldest advertisement for Skittles.
ed of the five holy mountains in Taoism, Tai Shan. Tai'an (ty-an) just happens to be Mr. Li's hometown, and so we were treated to many of the best restaurants and cuisine. But our first stop in Tai'an was its mildly popular tem
ple, the Dai Temple. We were treated to an English-speaking guide, which still makes me think about what the Japanese teachers in our group felt about this. Nonetheless, the temple was vast, and it took us a good while to get through it. The temple rests in the center of town, and was/is the place that pilgrims gather before climbing Tai Shan. There were a lot of interesting parts about the temple, despite its apperance, which is falling into disrepair. For example, there's a big fresco inside one of the halls that depicts an emperor climbing up Tai Shan with a huge army to become the God of the mountain. Technically, one isn't supposed to take pictures here (the fresco is already peeling), but I figured what can a no-flash shot hurt? I got a snapshot of one of the most intriguing parts of the mural showing one of the emperor's men releasing a rainbow out of a large pot. It could quite possibly be the oldest advertisement for Skittles.Most of the templ
e-goers were elderly, but very active. Religion in China, of any type, generally seems to be limited to the elderly, and even this is usually just for superstitious or auspicious reasons (though who am I to say it's any different in the States in many cases?). Young and middle-aged Chinese adults believe in the Party, and/or making money. We'll have more on this when we can include conversations we've had with people and students about xinyang (faith). Going back to auspicious ritual, there's a popular ritual that involves walking around a sacred rock clockwise three times, then counter clockwise three times, all with one hand on the rock and your eyes closed. Then, with your eyes still closed, you walk from the rock to a special tree and try to touch the smooth part of the tree. Mr. Li pressured me to do it, and I gave in. I can't say I regretted my de
cision, but I will say it was a painfully long process (painful because the rock has some pointy edges, and walking around blind for that long with people crowding in is more than awkward). When I began it was just our group watching and enjoying the show. Evidently this changed quickly after I began, and when I finished and opened my eyes, I had drawn quite a crowd of elderly Chinese temple enthusiasts all having a good laugh at the waiguoren (foreign person). Glad to be of service. I should mention that if one succeeds in touching the special part of the tree (I did not, oops!), then a long, good life is assured. "Special" trees abound in Chinese temples. It is not uncommon for the bark to be smooth because so many hands have touched the tree. Below is a tree that holds rare and exquisite beauty:
e-goers were elderly, but very active. Religion in China, of any type, generally seems to be limited to the elderly, and even this is usually just for superstitious or auspicious reasons (though who am I to say it's any different in the States in many cases?). Young and middle-aged Chinese adults believe in the Party, and/or making money. We'll have more on this when we can include conversations we've had with people and students about xinyang (faith). Going back to auspicious ritual, there's a popular ritual that involves walking around a sacred rock clockwise three times, then counter clockwise three times, all with one hand on the rock and your eyes closed. Then, with your eyes still closed, you walk from the rock to a special tree and try to touch the smooth part of the tree. Mr. Li pressured me to do it, and I gave in. I can't say I regretted my de
cision, but I will say it was a painfully long process (painful because the rock has some pointy edges, and walking around blind for that long with people crowding in is more than awkward). When I began it was just our group watching and enjoying the show. Evidently this changed quickly after I began, and when I finished and opened my eyes, I had drawn quite a crowd of elderly Chinese temple enthusiasts all having a good laugh at the waiguoren (foreign person). Glad to be of service. I should mention that if one succeeds in touching the special part of the tree (I did not, oops!), then a long, good life is assured. "Special" trees abound in Chinese temples. It is not uncommon for the bark to be smooth because so many hands have touched the tree. Below is a tree that holds rare and exquisite beauty:
See? These Chinese really know how to get the most from their ancient trees. Anot
her staple of Chinese temples is a garden with "ancient" steles. Usually it's not hard to tell the older steles from the newer ones, because the old ones no longer have any legible inscriptions on them. That's because a lot of Chinese (and foreign) hands have come along and worn them off over time. So the newer ones are inset very deep into the stone to ensure that it never happens again. There are no shortage of the steles, and they usually are written in the many different forms of Chinese calligraphy. There are five different styles of calligraphy, but within each style there can be many different variations. To the Chinese, one's calligraphy says a lot about that person. The writing style reflects the inner and outer of one's being. So contrary to what you might think, the first character in the picture above is not scribble, but an intricately designed character (The top character is beyond my learning, but the next two are yi [one] and shan [mountain], but if any Chinese scholars are out there, please let me know.).
her staple of Chinese temples is a garden with "ancient" steles. Usually it's not hard to tell the older steles from the newer ones, because the old ones no longer have any legible inscriptions on them. That's because a lot of Chinese (and foreign) hands have come along and worn them off over time. So the newer ones are inset very deep into the stone to ensure that it never happens again. There are no shortage of the steles, and they usually are written in the many different forms of Chinese calligraphy. There are five different styles of calligraphy, but within each style there can be many different variations. To the Chinese, one's calligraphy says a lot about that person. The writing style reflects the inner and outer of one's being. So contrary to what you might think, the first character in the picture above is not scribble, but an intricately designed character (The top character is beyond my learning, but the next two are yi [one] and shan [mountain], but if any Chinese scholars are out there, please let me know.). The temple also has some other notable sights like the mega-bixi (Darbie's favor
ite Chinese mythological animal). The bixi (bee-shee) is the turtle-like offspring of a dragon. The bixi has the head of a dragon, the feet of a hawk, the tail of a snake, and back of a turtle. In other words, it is ferociously cute. The bixi are created to hold and protect giant scripture stones (steles) on their backs. This was the biggest bixi we've seen to date, and accordingly, it is the luckiest. Touching the bixi all but assures you a rich, healthy, and long life. The last thing worth mentioning about the temple is yet another temple game designed in order to gain a good life. It involves throwing coins into slots or openings in a religious structure; yue duo yue hao (the more the better). This takes place in every Chinese temple I've been to, and fortunately for you, we've got a video for you to check out of me playing the coin game! The object of this game is to throw an "ancient" coin into the slot and make the bell ring.
ite Chinese mythological animal). The bixi (bee-shee) is the turtle-like offspring of a dragon. The bixi has the head of a dragon, the feet of a hawk, the tail of a snake, and back of a turtle. In other words, it is ferociously cute. The bixi are created to hold and protect giant scripture stones (steles) on their backs. This was the biggest bixi we've seen to date, and accordingly, it is the luckiest. Touching the bixi all but assures you a rich, healthy, and long life. The last thing worth mentioning about the temple is yet another temple game designed in order to gain a good life. It involves throwing coins into slots or openings in a religious structure; yue duo yue hao (the more the better). This takes place in every Chinese temple I've been to, and fortunately for you, we've got a video for you to check out of me playing the coin game! The object of this game is to throw an "ancient" coin into the slot and make the bell ring.Good things should be coming my way!
Whew, I wasn't expecting to write so much about the Dai Temple. We don't want to overwhelm you, so we'll milk this trip for all its worth in future posts. Tai Shan and Qufu are still to come!
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DB&KM
1 comment:
Great form on the coin throwing there . . . knees bent, elbow pointing forward, focusing all of your body's motion on that flick of the forearm. Beautiful.
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